Fierce Hatred
by SF3P0X1
Summary: Meet Shinji Ikari - Saiyan Warrior. Pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. He is a teenager with a short temper and a laundry list of things to complain about. Thanks to the Angels, a lack of strong enemies is not one of them.
1. Third Child, First Power

The letter held only a single word: Come. No greeting, no sincerely, not even a signature at the bottom. Just a piece of paper with a bunch of blacked-out lines and a single visible word.

_Come._

The young boy stood at the bus stop, waiting for his transport to Tokyo-3. He simply stared at the paper, his insides seething. He had half a mind to refuse the order, to wait until his father came and got him, but he knew it would be a futile effort. If there was anything his father was good at, it was having backup plans and replacements.

His mother had died years ago. She had been a proud woman, intelligent, virtuous. He barely remembered her face, and the last memory he had of her was framed with the bones of giants. He remembered seeing her from above, catching snippets of conversation around him about being a nuisance, and then a flash of white light and silence.

The bus pulled up to the stop and broke him of his reverie. He took one last glance at the paper in his hand, then tore it into pieces and boarded the transport. He'd go, but he'd make his displeasure known as soon as he could.

"_At 12:30pm today, a special emergency has been declared for the Tokai and Kanto regions of Tokyo-3. Please go to your designated shelters at this time."_

The announcement blared over and over from loudspeakers and megaphones positioned throughout the city. The ordered boy stood at a pay phone, holding the receiver with a deadpan face. The audio erupting from the phone repeated the same announcement as was blaring from the speakers.

He hung up the receiver in frustration. "Figures. No organization at all in this city. That announcement does little for us visitors with no designation!"

He held up the postcard he had received in the mail with the disappointing letter. It featured an attractive woman who was obviously flirting with the cameraman, and scribbled over the image was a reassurance that she would be picking him up, as well as an arrow pointing into her noticeable cleavage and a message to pay attention. Every time he looked at the photo, he rolled his eyes.

"The father that doesn't want anything to do with his son, and now a flirt who can't even arrive on time! What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and for a brief moment he caught a glimpse of a blue-haired girl in a schoolgirl's uniform. She was standing in the middle of the road, staring at him. A shock wave of unknown source ruffled the feathers of a group of nearby pigeons, causing them to flutter away in alarm, and the movement took his attention away from the blue haired spectre for only a moment, but when he turned his eyes back to the spot she was in, she had all but disappeared.

Then he felt it.

A power level of immeasurable strength registered within his cells mere moments before the missiles roared overhead. Even before looking up, he knew the enemy they were directed towards was of the giant variety. A Kaiju, a monster on scale with the old Godzilla movies of the 70's. The boy could feel the hairs at the back of his neck tingling, and a mysterious sense of overwhelming joy rising in his gut.

He followed the missiles' trajectory, his eyes coming to rest on the enormous figure before him just before their impact. He went to throw up a ki shield for protection, but the screech of tires on asphalt caught his attention as a blue Renault skidded between himself and the monstrosity. The passenger door flew open and a female voice yelled at him to get in.

He didn't have to be told twice. He was in the car, seatbelt on, in seconds, and the car zoomed away moments before the Kaiju's foot came crashing down on the very spot the two of them had been lurking. Had either of them been a second or two slower, the both of them would have been little more than a blood splatter on the ground beneath its feet.

The two of them zoomed away to a spot in the nearby mountains, neither saying much to the other. The female parked in a good vantage point to the battle going on in the middle of the city, pulled out a pair of binoculars, and watched carefully. The boy, on the other hand, was already out of the car, standing on the driver's side so that the vehicle was between himself and the monster. He seemed to be in a meditative trance, and should the female have looked, she would have seen the air about the boy twisting and churning like water.

The view through the binoculars changed suddenly, all the fighters around the monster suddenly pulling away, and the female panicked. "They're gonna use an N2 mine! Get down!" She made to jump on the boy and cover him in defense, but as the sky lit up in a bright white light, she realized he wasn't in the car. She could do naught but brace for impact, praying the boy was smart enough to take cover.

The shock wave took seconds to reach the two of them. Under any normal circumstances, the car would have been picked up and tossed away by the sheer power of the explosion, rolling and tumbling through the sand, perhaps coming to rest on its side a few hundred meters from their original point. But this time, the car's trajectory was halted by the ki shield thrown up by the young man just outside the car. It rattled and rumbled and threw around the passenger inside a little bit, but when the dust finally settled, the car had little more than a few scratches and dents on it, and its singular occupant appeared shaken but completely unhurt.

The officer behind the wheel raised her head, looking behind her at the grinning face of the young man who had, somehow, managed to survive the explosion unharmed. He slowly walked around to the passenger side of the car, once again getting in and belting up. The young woman's jaw dropped at the boy's unruffled appearance, and in the back of her mind she began to wonder who this kid was, and how dangerous he might be.

She kept these concerns to herself, obviously, and instead kept a smile on her face and a lightness in her speech. She introduced herself as Misato Katsuragi, and he introduced himself as Shinji. She asked him questions about his relationship with his father, and about the life he led while separated from the man, and though he seemed open enough, the kid was obviously keeping some of the details to himself. In turn, she answered his questions about where they were going and what his purpose was in coming to Tokyo-3, but kept some of the more confidential things to herself. In all honesty, she had absolutely no idea why his coming to NERV was so crucial at this point in time. She was more focused on why another Kaiju was attacking, nearly fifteen years after the first one. It felt like an odd time gap.

The car entered into a tunnel, then came to rest on a vehicle transport. The transport began moving downward into the ground, and as they exited the tunnel, the boy gasped.

"Wow! It's a real geofront!" he exclaimed, while one miss Misato Katsuragi grinned.

It had been a while since she had seen such a response to the reveal of the geofront. After a while of living and working within it, one tends to take for granted the majesty of the world around them. She explained about the headquarters of NERV, the company his father had built. She confirmed his suspicions about working for his father, and fielded questions about pay rates, schooling, and various other details.

Another hour of travel found the pair lost amidst the labyrinth of hallways and byways deep within NERV HQ. Misato continued to make excuses about still being new at the HQ, but Shinji could tell they were just excuses. They passed the same hallway three times before Misato admitted defeat, finally making a call on radio for help. The call was answered when they finally found an elevator. The doors opened to reveal a colleague of Misato's, who introduced herself as Doctor Ritsuko. She was very stern and matter-of-factly, preferring to forego as much social interaction as possible in favor of passing a thick handbook to Shinji and berating Misato for _again_ getting lost.

Shinji leafed through the handbook, paying close attention to the black lines and censors throughout it. He thought to himself that if the company was going to waste that much space to say that its normal employees weren't allowed to know certain bits of information, wouldn't it just be easier to make several different handbooks for the different levels of clearance? The one in his hand could have easily been half the weight it was in saved ink alone.

He was finished with the book in less time than would probably be expected of him; he was a quick reader, and his comprehension scores were off the charts. In fact, the young man had stuffed the handbook into his belt and was silently following the pair of adults, saying not a single word but keeping up with their technical conversation as if he had been privy to their jobs all his life. When the room around him suddenly went pitch black, he realized he had been caught off-guard, and kicked himself for it.

The lights turned on and there, staring back at him, was a gigantic purple and gray face. It looked like a humanoid dragon made of metal, and he would have exclaimed if he had not already been scolding himself. Another light clicked on, though faintly, and Shinji heard the voice he had been anticipating with dread for so long.

"Hello, boy." Ikari Gendo stood, arms crossed, at a window far above Shinji's eye level. His face stern, his eyes hidden behind reflective lenses, the man stared emotionless at the boy below him.

Shinji, in turn, stared back up at the man he was forced to call his father. The look on his face was far from emotionless, however. His eyes were filled with what looked like seething hatred. "Gendo," he replied, his voice just above a whisper. He clenched his fist and was briefly tempted to blast the window with ki, but his hatred was interrupted by a large explosion. Tremors reached deep within the HQ and shook the floor upon which the boy was standing.

"It's found us!"

"We're doomed!"

Various other lamentations were released from the mouths of nameless workers stationed about the warehouse-sized room. The only faces that remained unchanged were those of Shinji and Gendo, both still locked on to each other. Surprisingly, it was Gendo who looked away first, if only for the moments it took to order NERV personnel to ready Unit 01 for docking and deployment. It was long enough for Shinji to grin in victory.

"Who will we get to pilot it?" Misato's voice seemed scared, her inquisitive nature not strong enough to cover her deep-seated self-serving sanctity of life. "Rei is still injured, and the dummy plug system hasn't shown satisfactory test results yet!"

Gendo's voice sounded loud in the room, and his answer silenced everyone. "A spare pilot has just arrived."

It was a minute or two before anyone spoke. "You called me here to give me a giant robot in the hopes that I'll keep that Kaiju outside from destroying your precious company? You're funny, old man."

Gendo didn't laugh. "You'll pilot it, or the world is destroyed."

"Your world, maybe."

He sighed, then turned to the monitor on the wall to his left. "Fuyutsuki, the spare is unusable. Wake Rei."

A skinny, white-haired man looked at Gendo, his face visibly wrinkled. "Can we use her?"

Gendo smirked. "She's not dead yet."

Another screen turned on, though it only showed orange with the words 'Audio Only' in bold black letters at the bottom. Gendo spoke towards it. "Rei."

"Yes," came a monotone voice on the other side.

"The spare is useless. You will do it again."

"Yes," came the reply.

Shinji chuckled. "I'm just a spare, huh? Fuck you, old man."

Doors behind Shinji opened up, and a stretcher rolled into the room. Upon it was a blue-haired girl remarkably similar to the one Shinji saw in town at the beginning of this fiasco. She seemed to be in pain, and struggled to raise herself up to her elbows. Shinji grew angry at the way his father sought to use this girl. She was a human being, not a tool!

The building rattled as another explosion tore through the facility, this time breaching its armor plating and threatening to bring the building down around their fragile forms. A steel beam came loose from the roof and began to fall towards the stretcher, and Shinji dashed forward to save the girl from being killed. His hand came up and he fired a ki blast at the beam, knocking it away from the stretcher and towards the robot, who also seemed to be raising its hand in defense.

"The Eva moved! Was it moving to defend Shinji?"

"The Eva nothing! What the hell did _Shinji_ do?!"

All the commotions was forgotten as Shinji knelt to pick the girl up off the floor. He brought her up to a sitting position and growled when she began spasming in pain. She soon passed out in his arms, and he turned to look at the robot.

"... fine. I'll pilot your stupid weapon."


	2. Spurring That Warrior

**Hey, readers! Know what? This is the first story I've posted here that acquired a review within the first couple of days of posting. It's a neat feeling, knowing people are actually reading and enjoying my work. Thanks for that.**

**So, a Guest said they enjoyed the chapter, but that it felt "rushed." I'm guessing that means that it feels like I'm rushing through the timeline. Well... I am. I'm trying to touch on the important parts while at the same time not writing a piece that makes you read for two hours what the anime shows in half an hour. I also have a personal writing problem of being too detailed, and it causes lots and lots of writer's block and I'd like to avoid that.**

**I'll try to slow down in the future. I can't make any promises, but I'll try. In any case, thanks for reading. :)**

Shinji felt slightly perturbed. First they stuck him in this long tube that felt like a missile, but without any propulsion system. The seat was comfortable, but it didn't make up for the feeling of drowning in orange Tang. Well, blood-flavored orange Tang.

That was scary. He was sitting in his seat trying to get comfortable when he heard a rushing noise and felt something wet begin soaking the bottoms of his slacks. When he complained, he was told to 'grow up' and not worry.

"Breathe it in. Let the LCL fill your lungs. It will oxygenate your blood from within. It's meant to cushion the body from the shock of combat," Dr. Akagi had explained.

"It smells like blood. Tastes like it too. Lesser soldiers would be sick right now," he'd fired back.

"Well, try to hold back your bile. We don't have any systems for expelling the expelled."

Then came the waiting. Electronics kicked on, orders were given, locks were dislodged. It wasn't until he felt the platform moving the Eva to the launchpad that a thought occurred to him.

"What do you want me to do when I get up there?"

"For now," Dr. Akagi answered, "concentrate on walking."

"Wait... walk? That's it?"

"Pretty much."

"You called me all the way from training in the open wilderness to the middle of this warzone, placed me in some high-tech giant robot, and are having me go up and face this Kaiju-"

"Angel," Misato interrupted.

"... Kaiju. Alone. And all you want me to do is walk?"

"... yes."

"You don't have any other advice for me except 'walk'."

"What other advice do you expect us to give you?"

"I don't know!" Shinji shouted. "How about 'defend yourself'? How about 'don't die'? Hell, I'd even go for a corny 'do your best' right about now! You'd think with all the planning and resources you guys are privy to, what with being able to build a giant weapon like this, and this base, you might have at least a little foresight to install a program or two that would help me learn to fight in this thing. All I have are a lounging pilot's seat and two triggers that move back and forth! How do I use this crap to fight? Where are my body controls? In the same vein, how the hell do you expect me to move?!"

"Shinji, the clips in your hair help to amplify your thoughts into the machine. If you think it, you will it. Your will causes the machine to move. The triggers are for more minute movements, like fingers."

Shinji sighed. "And all you want me to do is walk?"

Dr. Akagi nodded, even though Shinji couldn't see it, but it was Misato who spoke his answer. "... yes. Launch!"

Shinji's neck snapped back into the pilot's seat as the platform upon which the Eva stood was magnetically propelled upwards. He felt like his brain was moving into his feet. The G's that held him in place now would release him as soon as the robot stopped, and that worried him. Was he going to leave the pilot's seat and splatter into the ceiling of the entry plug?

Within a minute, the robot shot from the warehouse below to the street above. When Shinji opened his eyes, his robot stood still, facing the enemy in front of him. The Kaiju's beaked head cocked sideways to look at him, as if it was not expecting resistance to its bold assault.

When Shinji was at the feet of the monster, he hadn't had any time to really study the creature. Now that he was face to face with it, however, he could take in all the details. It was a massive, hulking monster, humanoid in form, all in black, with a white head that resembled a bird. Its arms were almost the length of its entire body. In the center of the mass was something Shinji could only identify as a blood orb, and he figured that should be his main target. It was protected by a rib cage that protruded from the being's body.

"Shinji, just concentrate on walking for now." The voice of Dr. Akagi echoed through the cockpit and disrupted his thoughts amidst the sounds of locks disengaging.

"No," Shinji replied.

"No? What do you mean, no?"

Shinji didn't answer. To the viewers below the street, EVA-01 straightened up from it's hunched-over lumbering posture. It assumed a fighting stance, left arm extended, right arm pulled in tight against its chest. Its knees were slightly bent, shoulder width apart. It maintained this posture, waiting for the right time to strike... or defend.

The Angel stared down the Eva, and the Eva stared down the Angel. Nothing happened for a few minutes. All was still; even the wind seemed afraid to blow. Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his heart rate relaxed. It would do no good to be distracted.

He opened his eyes to the sight of the Angel right in his face, its arms outstretched. It lunged at him, and he willed the machine to duck. The Eva dropped to its knees, and then launched itself upwards, driving its right fist into what would be the stomach of the Angel overhead. The Angel was launched several hundred feet into the air, and the Eva followed, front flipping and driving the heel of its right foot into the spine of the Angel.

The Angel crashed into the ground, unable to catch itself. It tried to push itself up on its hands and knees, but Shinji and his war machine would have none of that. He landed on the back of the Angel, driving both heels into its spine as he did so. The Angel lay there for a second and then bucked, throwing the Eva off of its body and rolling away.

Shinji landed several blocks away, on his back. The group of buildings around him crumpled into dust as he impacted them. He tried to get up, but the Eva refused to move. His heart was racing; this enemy was far more powerful and far more resistant than he had first estimated. He continued to try to will the machine to move, but the Eva did little more than vibrate in place. The Angel, now on its feet, moved towards Shinji with its head cocked to the side, its fists clenching and unclenching as it moved.

The Angel stopped at the Eva's feet and bent over, grabbing its head with its right hand and lifting the Eva off the ground almost effortlessly. Shinji saw a light begin to glow in the palm of the holding hand, and instinctively braced for impact. A dagger of light shot out and impacted the skull casing over and over, rattling Shinji each time it connected. Shinji continued to move the both triggers and extend his will, but the Eva continued to refuse to move for him.

"Shinji, get out of there!" came the frantic voice of Misato over the radio.

"I'm trying! It won't... fucking... move!"

"He's a sitting duck!" Misato turned to Ritsuko in a panic. "What can we do? There's gotta be something we can do for him!"

Ritsuko shook her head. "Something is interrupting his synchronization. There's nothing we _can_ do."

Over and over the dagger impacted the Eva's skull, until fractures began to form. Shinji watched as the screen in front of him cracked and splintered, and became increasingly angry. His head hurt from the damage to his Eva. He held his head, shouting and swearing at the Eva, trying to break through whatever barrier it was that was holding him back.

"Move, damn you!" He threw all of his might into the triggers, and focused all of his concentration on defending himself. "_Move or I die!_"

That seemed to do it. As the dagger of light retreated into the Angel's hand once more, Shinji felt the robot come to life once again. The Eva brought its hands up and grasped the Angel by the wrist, then swung its feet up and over the shoulders of the Angel, on either side of its head. Shinji locked the Eva's legs around the Angel's head, then simultaneously wrenched the Eva's head from the Angel's grip and flipped backwards, tossing the Angel head over heels into a row of buildings behind them.

Shinji's Eva stood and turned, looking into the cloud of dust for its adversary. A shadow rose from the dust and walked out into the open. The Angel looked battered, but it obviously wasn't beaten. Its right arm hung limp at its side, the wrist folded at an odd angle. A couple of the ribs protecting the blood orb had cracked and broken, leaving his target a bit more vulnerable.

Shinji shot forward to strangle the Angel, but slammed into an invisible wall that seemed to shimmer in different colors. He punched and kicked at it, but the barrier seemed impenetrable. He grunted in frustration.

"What is this?! Misato, Dr. Akagi, why can't I hit it?!"

"It's an AT field," explained the doctor.

"I don't care what it is! How do I get past it?"

The Eva seemed to answer that question for him by taking control of itself at that moment. Its jaw opened wide and it let loose an ethereal scream that seemed to pierce into the very depths of Shinji's soul. Shinji could do nothing but sit there helplessly as the Eva clawed at the barrier, at first doing nothing, and then causing the wall of colors to warp and bend.

"How are you doing that?" Misato asked.

"I'm not, it's controlling itself!" came Shinji's puzzled reply.

"_Berserker,"_ Ritsuko remarked to herself. _"We've done it."_

The AT field blocking Shinji's assault finally gave under the ambush of the Eva, dissolving into shreds. The Eva stared down the Angel and roared, and the Angel seemed to cower in fear for a moment before launching itself headfirst at the Eva.

Shinji felt control slip back into his hands, and his first instinct was to sidestep the Angel, grabbing its right arm and pinning it behind its back. The Angel fired another light digger from the palm of its restrained hand and it managed to catch Shinji's Eva in the shoulder, causing Shinji to roar with pain. Grasping the wrist of the captured arm with his right hand, Shinji simultaneously pulled upwards on the Angel's arm while pressing downwards on the Angel's left shoulder, and he heard a satisfying pop and snap as the Angel's right arm popped from its socket and its left shoulder broke.

He grabbed the Angel by the back of the neck and pulled on its wounded arm, using one of his feet for leverage. After a minute, the arm ripped from the Angel's body. The momentum caused the Angel to spin around and face Shinji, where its face met with its own arm via baseball swing. The Angel flew backwards and landed on its back, thrashing and screaming, the air filled with blood like rain.

Shinji jumped from where he stood and landed on the Angel, driving both of the Eva's feet into the creature's stomach. He began to swing the captured arm down into the Angel's face. Over and over he swung the appendage into the enemy, until its own facemask started to crack. Shinji then tossed the arm away and reached down, grasped the blood-colored sphere in the Angels' body, and tried to pull it free.

This obviously agitated the Angel. It reached up and grabbed Shinji's Eva by the head, then locked its body onto the robot and detonated itself. An explosion marked by a gigantic cross of light incinerated the area around them, and blood started to fall like rain. When the dust cleared, only the Eva remained.

EVA-01 screamed into the night, echoing its pilot's crazed shouts of victory.


	3. Intermission

The last thing Shinji remembered was fighting off NERV personnel as they tried to escort him to the hospital ward. He was vomitting his guts out, emptying his body of the LCL he had been forced to ingest without a single warning. He dropped to a knee, heaving, and blacked out.

He woke a few hours later, lying in a white gown, in a white bed, in a white room. He felt so stiff. Shinji had never experienced so much adrenaline in a fight – nor so much pain. He may not have broken anything, but he sure felt battered and bruised. That LCL stuff didn't do much for the actual shock of battle.

He laid there, staring at a ceiling he didn't recognize, imagining the night sky and the brightest stars. He closed his eyes and imagined himself _outside in the middle of the desert, surrounded by nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Nobody for miles except for himself and his sensei._

_They were sparring, and their speed made their movements nearly invisible to the naked eye. The average fighter had nothing on these warriors. Shinji and his teacher traded blows back and forth, alternating between feet and elbows, fists and knees. Shinji found an opening and advanced, but his teacher saw it coming._

_His open palm strike missed by a hair's breadth, and Shinji felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. His center of gravity was dragged over backwards, and then he felt the air pressure around him drop as his body was lobbed into the air. He tumbled through the air, doing his best to right himself against the turbulence._

_He righted himself at the last moment and turned to face his opponent from the air. He was met by a small volley of ki blasts, each arching from one central point on the landscape below. They began exploding around him, and soon he was lost in the smoke of their discharge._

_As the dust cleared, Shinji's form was nowhere to be seen. His sensei scratched his head looking around for the student he was supposed to be training. Finding nobody in the immediate area, he spun on his heels to walk away._

_He was met with a face-full of ki energy, produced by Shinji's own hand. The blast slammed into the teacher's face, sending the man backwards and sliding through the dirt on his back. Shinji immediately took a defensive pose, ready to react to anything his teacher might throw at him. Nothing came from the crater his sensei had created except for laughter._

"_That was good, Shinji. Always keep your opponent guessing," his teacher called, while his silhouette finally rose from the dust."Beware, though, that you don't spend too much time thinking about your riddles. Intellectuals have no-"_

"_-place on the battlefield. I know, sensei. I am well awake and aware," Shinji interrupted._

"_Make sure you're awake off the battlefield too, Shinji. There is more to your new story than meets the eye. Now, again."_

_The night sky once again lit up with the bright flashes of ki and the cries of two warriors in battle. Shinji continued his frenzied screams until long into the night, long after he had lost his voice. A new hunger was awake within his heart, one he could not hope to fill with battle alone._


	4. A Little Flirting Never Hurt Anyone

"Recovery of Unit 01 has been completed on schedule," Misato's voice rang through the speaker of the radio. "Cleanup has commenced, though I'm not entirely sure where we're going to put all this Angel blood."

"On a happier note, our pilot seems to have finally awoken," Ritsuko's voice answered back.

"Does he remember much of anything?"

"He remembers the battle, if only from the way it's made his body feel. He's made us all aware of that. He's eaten half the rations of the entire hospital!"

Misato sighed. "Your flair for exaggeration has improved. I suppose I'll go pick him up."

–

Shinji moaned in satisfaction as he set his plate down. Seven servings in and the boy was finally satisfied. Sure, the food served here was horribly bland, but if one ate enough of it, it would still serve its purpose.

He was redressing when Misato poked her head in. She mentioned something about leaving the hospital, to which Shinji adamantly agreed. He was getting tired of the white walls and depressing air that seemed to accompany the dull sound of air conditioning. Misato withdrew from the room, but not before staring long and hard at Shinji's half naked form.

Shinji already knew. Nobody said anything, but the way they looked at him when he was around them told him all he needed to know. He put the black slacks and white shirt that he was wearing before back on, but made a mental note to find something a bit more relaxed and... _familiar_ to wear before long.

Satisfied with his appearance, Shinji stepped out of his room. He shut the door behind him and leaned against the wall to the left of it, next to Misato. He breathed in deep and thought about what he wanted to say, but the sound of a cart rolling down the hall towards them interrupted him. Three doctors were moving a body down the ward, and as they passed, Shinji caught the eye of Rei Ayanami. In the split second the two faced each other, Shinji felt felt a power unlike anything he had ever felt before, even greater than the Angel.

It worried him.

Rei's stretcher carried on down the hall, and Shinji sighed. He stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to Misato.

"I'm ready to leave now."

Misato nodded. "We'll take the elevator."

They walked down the hall and stopped at the elevator doors, pressed the down arrow, and waited for them to open. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, and there stood Gendo in all his stone-faced glory. The two males stared each other down, unflinching, unmoving, their eyes piercing daggers into each other. Only when the doors began to shut did Shinji make a move, so fast that none of their eyes could follow him. Gendo keeled over in the elevator holding his gut while the doors shut in front of him, while Shinji crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. Misato just stood there, mouth agape.

"You... hit him?" Misato couldn't believe what she hadn't seen. "You must really hate your father."

"That _man_," Shinji spat, "is _not_ my father. He's just the sperm donor."

"You look just like him," Misato continued. "The dark hair, the complexion, the stern glance. I can see him in you in everything except..." She faltered.

"Except the tail?" Shinji asked.

Misato nodded. "Except the tail. Are you not human?"

Shinji shrugged. "I never thought much about it. I was raised by a clan of martial artists who all had tails. They called themselves Saiyans, said they hailed from a planet of warriors that was blown up years and years ago. Their leader was a strong man named Goten. He said he was a hybrid of a human and a Saiyan, and he taught me skills that I never would have thought possible. But as far as whether or not I'm human?" Shinji shrugged.

Misato pondered for a moment. Shinji just _had_ to be human, at least in part. The EVA wouldn't work for him if he wasn't.

"Anyway, why does it matter?"Shinji said. "I'm here, your machine works for me, and I can fight your Angels. What does it matter if I'm human or not?" He sighed. "Lets get outta here. I'm hungry and bored and in dire need of sleep in a place that isn't white."

–

Maybe it was the fact that the boy seemed so angry and unpredictable, or maybe Misato was feeling particularly daring, but the woman decided that Shinji would be much better off living with her than living by himself. Last minute plans were made, and a change in address was given to the delivery men for Shinji's stuff. The most troublesome of this split-decision was the phone call to Ritsuko explaining why Misato was going to be off the radar for the remainder of the day. Ritsuko's diatribe left Misato's ears ringing for hours afterwards.

Once the boy had been outprocessed from the hospital, the two loaded into Misato's car and began the long drive home. They stopped at a roadside store and made a few purchases of the microwave variety, and Shinji used what little pocket money he had to buy a fifty pound bag of rice. When questioned, he stated that he never did like instant food very much, and would prefer to eat rice and soy over 'that disgusting slop'.

Once the various vittles were piled high in the trunk of Misato's Renault, the two resumed their journey home. Talk was minimal at best, with Misato going on and on about her history in the military and with NERV, and Shinji just nodding and giving affirmative grunts.

They came up over a hill overlooking the city of Tokyo-3 and Misato pulled the car over. "Get out of the car for a moment, Shinji," she said. "I want to show you something."

The two stepped from the vehicle and stood side by side against a guardrail. The city of Tokyo-3 lay sprawled out before them, looking small and defenseless in the fading light of the sunset. Shinji closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting the smells of the mountains surrounding him wash over him completely.

"It's time," he heard Misato say, and he opened his eyes.

A siren rang up from the valley below, blasting loudly through the air. Shinji watched as the entire city started moving, rising slowly into the air. His eyes widened in awe at the majesty of the man-made city. Misato saw his reaction and smiled.

"This is Tokyo-3, Shinji; a fortress created by humans to withstand the attacks of the Angels. This is the city _you_ defended."

Shinji pondered for a second, then frowned. "Wait. Built to withstand the attacks? You mean you _knew_ these monsters would come here?!"

Misato stayed silent. This young man was far more perceptive than she had anticipated.

"How many more monsters are going to attack here? How many more times am I going to have to fight to defend this place?"

Misato sighed. "What you fought last night was an Angel known as Sachiel. He was the third of thirteen Angels set to attack this place." She took a breath. "We don't know when they will attack, or how; only that they will, and only one at a time."

"Well good," said Shinji as sarcastically as he could muster. "One by one they follow through, like lambs to the slaughter. Oh wait, that's us."

"I meant to cheer you up by bringing you here, Shinji," Misato retorted.

"Oh, you cheered me up. I see my playing field now. I see how much I have to lose should I ever fail in any of my battles. I see how much I might have to destroy should another Angel attack the city. And I see the idiocy of my father, who has obviously built this city as a fortress not to defend the Earth against the Angels, but to _hide something_ from the Angels."

"Your father isn't-" Misato started, but Shinji interrupted her.

"-hiding anything? Right." Shinji sighed. "When it all comes to light and you find yourself questioning the side you work for, I'll be there with a great big 'I told you so'."

"Alright, Shinji," Misato replied. "Now let's go home before more of my good plans blow up in my face."

The two returned to the car and drove away from the view in silence, the city's tall buildings receding into the distance for a time. The sun was completely set by the time the duo made it back to Misato's apartment. The two climbed the stairs carrying the items purchased earlier, neither of them talking to the other very much. When they arrived at Misato's front door, the captain spoke up.

"This is your home now, Shinji. To be honest, I've been wanting a roommate for a while. Please don't make me regret it."

Shinji only chuckled, but remained motionless when the door finally slid open and Misato stepped in. Misato stopped in the foyer when she realized her new houseguest hadn't moved. "You can come in now, Shinji."

"Are you sure, Misato? This _is_ your last chance to get rid of me."

"I'm sure, Shinji," came the reply.

Shinji stepped forward over the threshold and stood still, breathing in the smells of the new house. It smelled of sweat, dust, alcohol, and fish. There was also another smell that Shinji couldn't quite place, but it reminded him of feathers. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself. "I'm home."

Misato smiled as well. "Welcome home." She handed Shinji her portion of the load of groceries and shuffled off to her room. "Could you put the food away in the fridge, Shinji? I need to go change into something a bit more comfy. And don't mind the mess; I haven't had much time to clean the place up."

Shinji gave an affirmative grunt and headed for the kitchen, looking at the piles of trash and dirty clothes strewn about the place. He rolled his eyes, thinking to himself about how much this lady reminded him of a college freshman. He wasn't surprised when he got to the fridge, either.

He opened the first door. "Ice..." He reached the second door. "Snacks..." And finally, the third door. "And nothing but beer. No wonder she's so high strung." He shrugged, putting away the food they had bought and finding a place for his big bag of rice. There was a second box in the corner of the kitchen area that looked odd, but Shinji thought nothing of it, and ignored it while he began picking up the trash that littered the apartment.

The house was spotless in less than fifteen minutes, and he heard Misato gasp in surprise when she finally came out of her room. She was provocatively dressed in a yellow tank top and a pair of shorts that barely covered her most private areas. He wasn't sure the woman realized he was only fifteen.

"You didn't have to clean the place, Shinji!" Misato exclaimed. "It's almost as clean as when I moved in!"

Shinji chuckled. "A clean house is a healthy house. Besides, if you start with a clean slate, it's easier to stay motivated. So... what slop would you like to start with for dinner?"

Misato rolled her eyes.

The two split up dinner duty, and within half an hour there was an absolute feast on the table fit for a college dorm. The two sat down and gave thanks, then dug into their food with vigor. Conversation continued between the various slurps and gulps, and Shinji amazed Misato with how much food he could put down. He even managed to get a beer from her, which he drowned with the finesse of an experienced alcoholic.

Once dinner was done, the two cleaned up and sat down to split up chores via rock-paper-scissors. Shinji, on purpose, got everything except bathroom cleaning duty and laundry, but he half expected to be doing those things as well.

"You live here now, Shinji, so feel free to take advantage of everything here. Well, everything except me, of course." Misato closed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the boy, and Shinji chuckled in response.

"That was a freebie, Misato. Stick your tongue out at me again and you're liable to lose it."

"Geez, you're so uptight. Why don't you go get a bath, Shinji? Loosen up those muscles, and that attitude, too."

Shinji rose from the table and made his way to the bathroom. He stripped in the hallway and put his clothes in the dirty laundry, then took a deep breath and opened the washroom door.

A penguin spazzed in front of him, agitated. Shinji spazzed right back. The two engaged in a small shouting match that lasted a couple minutes, and ended when the penguin darted in between Shinji's legs and snapped at his tail. Shinji shouted in pain and whipped his tail towards the wall, sending the penguin flying through the air and directly into Misato's arms.

"You blasted bird! How could you?!" Shinji held his tail and inspected the damage. Then he glared at Misato and the penguin.

Misato looked thoughtful. "You just startled him, Shinji. This is PenPen, your other roommate. He's one of those nifty warm-water penguins. He sleeps in the other fridge."

PenPen squawked at Shinji, and Shinji growled at the bird. "You touch my tail again and we'll be having PenPen steaks for dinner."

Misato sighed. "You'll learn to get along. Now, shouldn't you cover yourself, Shinji?"

Shinji chuckled. "What, afraid you might like what you see?"

Misato guffawed and turned multiple shades of red while Shinji retreated into the washroom to take his bath. He filled the tub with hot water and eased himself into it, then relaxed. He let the steam fill his senses, closed his eyes, and fell into a meditative trance.

"_Stars," _he thought. _"Stars, as far as the eyes can see. Mountains topped with green. A vast expanse of green grass and hills. I float. My muscles relax. My mind fills with calm. I am aware, alone, alert. Calm. Calm. Calm..." _He counted the seconds as they drifted past him in the bath. Shinji concentrated on everything except the battle he fought the previous night. The time for battle would come again, but for now, there was calm.

Half an hour later, Shinji was done with his bath and dressed for bed. His mind was empty, and he spent another half an hour arranging what few belongings he owned in the space he was given. There was more than enough room for his bedroll, his training gis, and the several weapons he had been gifted through his life.

Finally satisfied with how everything was arranged, he spent some time practicing some martial arts.

–

Misato settled into her bath, relaxing. She pondered the events from the past couple of days, including the talks she'd had with her new roommate. The boy was far more self-reliant and bold than she had been lead to believe. All the reports on the Third Child had been written as if the boy was a weakling, yet here was this strong, intelligent, and conniving young man. No mention of a tail, no mention of any kind of fighting expertise. She would be convinced that he was an impostor if not for the fact that he synced _so well_ with his EVA the first time out.

"_Maybe the boy is right," _she began to think. _"There's more to this than the commander is letting on. Something else is at work here."_

When Misato was done, she wrapped a towel around her body and walked towards Shinji's room. She knocked on the door and let him know she was coming in. She stopped in her tracks when the door slid open and she saw that he was in the middle of a shadow boxing ritual. She couldn't follow his movements, they flew so fast. She waited for him to finish, then let him know she was on her way to bed, and that he should be headed in the same direction. School started the next day.

"You did a good job yesterday, Shinji," she said, "but don't let it go to your head. You've got a long road ahead of you."

"Yes, ma'am," Shinji answered, bowing. "Thank you for allowing me into your home."

Misato smiled. "The pleasure is mine. Good night, Shinji."

"Good night, Misato."

Misato went to her room, and Shinji closed his door. The two settled into their respective beds, ready for a good night's sleep.


	5. Power Underwhelming

Shinji sat in the pilot's seat of the EVA model, dressed in something that the scientists called a Plug Suit. He felt somehow more naked with it on than he did when actually naked. Not to mention, the suit didn't have any room for his tail. It was uncomfortable to have it trapped against him at all times.

"Good morning, Shinji," he heard the voice of Dr. Akagi echo through the speakers in the drone. I trust you had a pleasant sleep?"

"It was fine, ma'am," Shinji replied. "Can't complain."

"That's good to hear. Did you happen to look over the information we've given you about offense versus the Angels?"

"I glanced over it, yes," he replied.

"Well, then let's review. An Angel is driven by a central power source we've dubbed it's Core. This is also the critical hit point of the enemy, and as far as we can tell, destroying the core is the only way to kill it. Now, con-"

"But," Shinji interrupted, "seeing as how you haven't had the opportunity to experiment with alternative methods of killing an Angel, that's a moot point."

Dr. Akagi cleared her throat. "Now is not the time for being a smartass.

"Now, contemporary military hardware has been seen to do little damage to an Angel, but N2 mines have moderate stopping power. The last Angel saw an interruption (in its advance) of thirteen hours for healing after having an N2 mine detonated directly underneath it.

"The artillery developed for the EVA is a very large, hollow point round to be delivered from a size-modified M4. It is only effective when your AT Field is active.

"For now, we will review accuracy-"

Shinji had to interrupt again. "I'm a hand-to-hand fighter. I've spent my whole life learning to fight an opponent face to face, not at range. And even if I did know how to use a rifle, this 'seat' is very uncomfortable and unnatural. I want to stand. I want to hold something solid in my hands."

"That is nice and all, but you're talking about a huge injury risk. A setup like that doesn't give the pilots any protection."

"So you can't give me some kind of vault or chamber set on a gyroscope, filled with LCL, and something built into the plug suit that the EVA could read? Maybe a mimicry option?" He sighed. "I have the will for control. But if I could stand, I wouldn't need all the extra protection. The Angels wouldn't have a chance to bang me around that bad."

Dr. Akagi was silent for a moment. "I'll run it by the commander. For now, stick with what we've got. I want you to immerse yourself in the simulation. Using the aiming reticle, I want you to center on the target and pull the trigger."

Shinji settled in, aimed at the electronic rendition of the monster he'd already faced, and pulled the trigger. It exploded into a massive collection of pixels, much easier than the beatdown he had to give it the other night. "This would be effective if all the Angels were exactly the same."

"Who says they're not?" fired the Doctor.

"Who says they are?" he fired back. "It's been my experience that the enemy never gets any harder; just different. So change up my enemy. Its form. Its weak spot location. The amount of protection. Its weapon. Give me a challenge."

Dr. Akagi sighed. This time the boy had a point. She started barking out orders to change the simulation accordingly.

**-TWO DAYS LATER-**

"My name is Shinji Ikari, and I will be joining this class." Shinji stood in front of the class of children, and bowed respectfully. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks, with a tucked-in a white button-down shirt, and he found them stuffy and restricting. Not to mention, he had to keep his tail curled around his waist and tucked under his shirt.

"Welcome, Shinji," a tall, auburn-headed girl said. "My name is Hikari Horaki, and I am the representative of this class. If you have any questions or any problems, please do not hesitate to ask for help from myself."

Shinji nodded and looked around, trying to find a seat that would keep him away from most of the other students. He found himself a seat near the back of the class and faced forward. The teacher, a white-haired, bespectacled older gentleman, took center stage at the head of the class and began his lecture. Shinji was instantly bored.

The man's voice droned on and on about the subject of Second Impact, and about how it decimated the planet and killed off over half its population. While he understood the theories behind Second Impact, Shinji knew far more about the real truth; Second Impact was caused by a gigantic monster of light.

His sensei had told him stories about the battle. His sensei's father, a full-blooded Saiyan named Goku, had challenged the beast to battle, but the being had flat-out ignored him. A combined assault by Goku and his band of warrior friends and family had done nothing to halt the beast's progress, and when it self-detonated, it took out everything. Goku, his friends, his entire world; all of it dissolved into chaos, and death, and red.

Goten had been left at home to take care of his mother on her deathbed. The loss of her husband had been what finally killed her. She died of a broken heart. Goten blamed the entirety of Second Impact on the being of light and the failure of Goku's assault.

Shinji pretty much ignored the teacher and stared out the window, letting his mind wander. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned. A message had popped up on the computer screen attached to his desk.

'Are you the pilot of that big robot thing? Y/N'

Shinji pondered. On the one hand, nobody outside of NERV was supposed to know about the EVA, or even the battle that had taken place. On the other hand, this was a chance to bring attention to himself, and launch him to the top of the popularity pole.

He was still thinking over his answer when the classroom door slid open and a black-haired male teen walked through. He was dressed in an outfit reminiscent of an athlete; a black jumpsuit with a white shirt underneath, and white sneakers. He stood out from the rest of the class like a sore thumb.

"You're late, Toji," Horaki said, giving the boy a glare that could be felt throughout the room.

"I was at the hospital visiting my sister," Toji replied, taking his seat.

Shinji took a deep breath and gave his answer, pressing the 'Y' on his keyboard and hitting enter. In a flash, the entire class was on their feet and surrounding the new kid, pestering him with questions about the technical specs of the robot and what it felt like to drive it and could he divulge what he was supposed to be doing in it? The instant popularity was completely foreign to the boy who had spent the better part of the last ten years fighting in the desert.

While Horaki was busy trying to get the class to calm down and return to their seats, Shinji noticed Toji giving him an evil eye. The eye continued through the rest of class and on until the end of school, when Toji followed him into the courtyard. Shinji was meditating when Toji stepped in front of him.

"Hey, new kid."

Shinji opened his eyes in time to see a fist flying at his face. He cocked his head to the side and Toji's fist missed him by centimeters, which shocked the bully. He lost his balance and toppled over Shinji's shoulder.

"Yes, old kid?" Shinji did his best to be polite while at the same time mocking the boy for trying to start something with him.

Toji scrambled to his feet and brought his hands up like a boxer. "Sorry, new kid, but I have to pummel you. You gotta learn your place."

Another kid stepped out from behind Toji and introduced himself as Kensuke. He apologized for the teen. "His kid sister's been in the hospital ever since the robot attack, and it looks like she may never leave."

Shinji shrugged. "If you feel like you have to pummel me for her stupidity, go right ahead. I won't stop you."

Toji growled and threw punch after punch at Shinji's face, and each one missed as Shinji dodged them expertly. Toji continued to grow angrier and angrier as each perfectly aimed punch seemed to catch air every time. He finally stopped, walking off in a huff.

Shinji sighed. "Maybe next time she'll get to her designated shelter, eh, Toji?"

Toji stopped and turned around. Shinji rose from his spot and crossed his arms over his chest. "Nobody else is in the hospital from the attack," Shinji continued, "so logic dictates that your sister was where she should not have been."

Toji stomped over to Shinji and threw one more punch, and Shinji let it hit him. The fist landed dead center in Shinji's face, but the boy never moved. Toji withdrew his hand and cradled it, tears forming in his eyes. His knuckles were turning purple.

"You might want to get that checked. You may have broken it." Shinji turned back to his meditating while the older teen walked off, his pride bruised worse than his hand.

**A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER**

"Fifteen minutes ago, we got our first sighting of the Angel. It is headed for Tokyo-3 from the direction of Tokyo-2, and military resources have already been exhausted trying to slow its advance. It's too close to the city to use an N2 mine," reported Misato to the pilots and the commander," and the military is ordering the immediate deployment of an EVA."

Shinji snickered. Nobody had to tell him to engage the Angel; he already knew NERV would deploy the EVA, whether the military wanted them to or not. He had a feeling that NERV was in a class all its own, and they generally answered to nobody. They just feigned obedience.

"Rei, you're on standby. Your EVA-00 hasn't been released from stasis, but should anything go really wrong, we may have to drop you into the warzone.."

"Yes, ma'am," Rei answered.

"Shinji, you will be deployed inside the city. To your immediate right will be a weapons cache- take the gun you are sent and engage the target. Remember, center your target with the aiming reticle and pull the switch. If you fire too early, you're liable to lose your target in the smoke," Dr. Akagi gave Shinji a few last minute pointers.

"Yes. Because this Angel is going to be affected so easily by artillery when I nearly had to tear the last one apart limb from limb."

Misato sighed, placing her palm against her forehead. "Shinji, just do what you're told. If the weapon doesn't work, then go ahead and do what you do best. But we need you to use the weapon first."

Dr. Akagi backed her friend. "Lieutenant Katsuragi is correct. We need the data from the battle. Use the modified rifle, and when you're _certain_ that it isn't doing any good, victory will be on you."

"Have you given any thought to my request," Shinji asked. He was getting tired of sitting in the seat.

"We have a project in the works now," Dr. Akagi answered. "The Commander thought it was a good idea. We'll have to find some way to protect your body from the impacts of fighting, but we think we'll have a testable system within a month's time."

"Enough chatter! You'll have plenty of time to talk about this when you get back, Shinji, but for now we need to deploy an EVA and take out the target." Misato was getting a little antsy.

"Ready to go, Misato! Just give the word."


	6. That's No Wave, That's a Beam Rifle

**If anyone else feels like I rushed this chapter... yeah, I feel like I did too. This was originally going to be part of chapter 4, but I felt that including it with chapter 4 would have made that chapter a bit too long.**

**In any case, I'm proud of this fight scene.**

* * *

"EVA, launch!" Misato authoritatively shouted.

The launch bay released its locks and sent Unit 01 careening up the shaft towards the surface of the city. This was definitely Shinji's least favorite part of battle, even over the synthesized pain that his synchronization with the robot caused when it was damaged. In less than fifteen seconds, Shinji and his robot went from the bottom of the geofront to the street of Tokyo-3. Shinji deployed his AT Field, and then reached next to him and pulled out the modified M4. He exited the deployment shaft and sized up his opponent.

This was a strange being, and far different from the last "Angel" he faced. It was colored in maroon and beige, and looked like a cross between a full serpent and an ancient mythical being called a naga. Its ribcage looked more like centipede legs than anything, and they seemed to be moving independently of the will of the body. It had a head like a king cobra, with thin shoulders leading down to pink-tinted "whips" of light that Shinji supposed were its arms. Its blood orb core was, like the previous monstrosity, located within the ribcage; completely exposed, but also completely protected.

Of course, this sizing up took less than a second. Shinji fitted the M4 clumsily into Unit 01's shoulder and fired, pelting the monster with hollow-point rounds. The projectiles' flame bursts kicked up dust and smoke that quickly enveloped the target. Shinji continued to hold the trigger until the rifle's cartridge was emptied, then ejected the magazine and made to reload the weapon.

This turned out to be a bad idea. While the M4 was firing, the target made no movement. The second Shinji ceased his assault, the whips tore through the smoke and made a beeline for Shinji's EVA. Shinji was barely able to avoid the attack, but the M4 was caught and diced into pieces.

"Projectiles aren't doing anything!" Shinji shouted to the command post while he ducked and dodged the Angel's attacks. "Can I fight it on my own terms yet?!"

"We're sending you another rifle, the Commander's orders!" came the reply. "Get behind it and fire!"

"Get behind it?! Any suggestions as to how?" Shinji questioned, bewildered at the idiocy commanding him. Nobody had time to answer him, however, as at the same time that the rifle appeared to his left, a particularly brutal assault of whips severed his umbilical power cable and sent him skidding towards the city's edge.

The cockpit blared bright red and a timer appeared on the screen in front of Shinji. He now had five minutes to take out the Angel before all power failed and he was left a sitting duck on the field.

Shinji cursed, and stood to face the monster. The option of a second rifle was now no longer an option. A whip lashed out at him and he jumped to dodge it, but the other whip caught his foot in mid air. Shinji felt his world tip, and then he felt himself and his robot soaring through the air as the Angel threw him. He landed on his back on a hill a good distance away, the wind knocked from him.

A glance down at his side drew his attention to the forms of two young boys. He recognized them before the MAGI did; they were his classmates, and worse yet, the two that had confronted him a couple of weeks ago outside of the school. The bespectacled kid held a camcorder, the other cradled his bandaged fist, and both of them trembled in fear; somehow the EVA had managed to land in such a way that they had not been crushed, but instead trapped between two fingers on its left hand.

"What do I do now, Misato? I can't fight with civilians on the battlefield!"

The monster chose that time to advance on Shinji, and Shinji defended by catching the whips it let loose with his hands. The whips thrashed about in his grip, searing through the armor plating. The searing pain that followed nearly made him cry out, but he bit back the scream and waited for orders.

Misato's voice wafted up from the speakers. "Let them into the entry plug! When you're secure, retreat! We'll get you fitted with another umbilical cord, and then set you loose on that thing!"

Shinji liked the way that sounded. He killed the power and commanded the EVA to jettison the entry plug. It opened, and Shinji shouted for his classmates to get in while a ladder descended from the tube. A couple of minutes of anxious waiting while the boys climbed into the entry plug culminated in a shout by Kensuke about his camera being ruined, and an alarmed cry by both of them about drowning.

The power kicked back on and Shinji grunted, the pain in his hands returning with force. He pulled the whips to the ground, which pulled the Angel towards him. He lifted one of his legs and planted his foot directly into the blood orb of the Angel, kicking with all the strength he could muster while simultaneously releasing the whips. The Angel flew backwards, giving the teen the time he needed to rise to his feet and make a tactical retreat.

With fifteen seconds left on his timer, Shinji was able to make it back to a launch shaft and descend back into the geofront. His EVA was, of course, dead by the time he reached the bottom of the shaft, but that was to be expected. He berated the boys stuck with him in the entry plug, and erupted spectacularly at Toji about not being in a designated shelter.

"You'd think, with your sister being in the hospital due to an injury from one of these battles, you could do what you were told! If I hadn't had to look out for your fucking safety, I could have beaten that thing!" he screamed. "But _nooooo_, you just HAD to get a look at it, you just HAD to get a video! _You've put the entirety of Tokyo-3 at risk!_" He was still shouting when the entry plug was opened and the two boys were forcibly withdrawn. As the black-suited men made to close the hatch, Shinji growled out an order.

"Stick those two idiots in a dark cell, and let Misato know I'm doing this my way from now on!"

The entry plug slid back into place, and a new umbilical was fitted into the back of the EVA. The robot came back to life, and Shinji breathed through the LCL. He willed himself to calm down, to smother the flame of anger that had flared from the outburst. He was ready to fight. He was ready to win.

Misato's voice floated through the liquid. "Shinji, we're sending you back up. Do what you do best."

Shinji nodded, though he was sure they couldn't see it. "My pleasure."

"EVA, launch!" Misato shouted once more.

Once more, the EVA blasted up from the bottom of the geofront. With a typical launch, the EVA would have been locked into place so that at the end of the launch tube, it would stand at street level to face the enemy. On this launch, though, because Shinji's retreat, reenergize, and resupply had been unexpected, there hadn't been time to lock the EVA on the launch platform. When the platform hit the top of the tube, Shinji's EVA was catapulted into the air. This ripped the new umbilical cable from the port on Unit 01's back, which reinitiated the timer; the clock read 2:45, as the EVA hadn't had time to completely repower its systems.

Shinji righted himself and his EVA in mid air, facing down at the ground and seeing the entirety of the monster that served as his enemy. He grinned, feeling now was as good a time as any to try that ki blast that his sensei had taught him. He released the triggers inside the EVA's cockpit and placed the bases of his palms together, drawing them to his body and to the right of his ribcage. The EVA, through his will, mimicked his movements. Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated on his ki, then began his chant.

"_Kaaaa meeeeee..."_

The Angel, oblivious to the whereabouts of its purple opponent, continued its destructive rampage through Tokyo-3, digging its whips into the concrete in a vain attempt to tunnel to Terminal Dogma.

"_Haaaaaa meeeeeee..."_

The inhabitants of the command center were perplexed, both by the actions of the EVA and its pilot, and by the energy readings that the MAGI were reading. The EVA's power level was through the roof, exponentially higher than anything they had ever seen before. The robot's AT Field shifted and warped around it, and light had begun to _collect_ in the palms of the robot's hands. It defied every physical law of science, and left every scientist baffled.

Finally, the Angel felt the presence of the EVA. As it turned towards the sky to let loose with its whips, Shinji opened his eyes and shouted the finality of his mantra.

"_HAAAAA!"_ Shinji screamed, and forced his arms in front of his body, palms opened towards his enemy. The EVA again mimicked his movements. At the same time, the Angel's whips penetrated Shinji's EVA, both entering through its gut and exiting out the back.

It didn't matter. The light blast that erupted from the EVA's palms engulfed the entirety of the enemy, as well as the cratered hill beyond it. When Shinji finally silenced his screaming and the EVA landed on the earth, the only evidence of an Angel attack was the portion of Tokyo-3 that lay in rubble and the whips that still penetrated Unit 01. The Angel, its core, and the section of the city that it had been standing on had been completely vaporized.

The EVA posed, triumphant, and then keeled over. Shinji was rendered unconscious from the ki drain, coupled with the uncomfortable fighting position, and the pain of being impaled. The EVA's systems were all completely drained as well. All but three of the inhabitants of the command center erupted into cheers from the defeat of the enemy: Ritsuko was puzzled by the power displayed by the pilot and his machine; Gendo was silent as his conscience battled his reason; Misato fought off terror as she realized that this powerful being was _her roommate!_


	7. The One Where Shinji Hates His Dad

White. _Again_.

He lay in that bed, in that hospital room, once again stiff from the excursion. But there was something in that stiffness. He was filled with an incredible vigor. An indescribable craving; almost a primal thirst or inescapable urge to _battle_. The mere thought of engaging an opponent that could present a challenge made his mouth water.

The Kamehameha wave, or beam, or blast, or whatever the hell it was called turned out to be far more draining on him than he had been made to understand. Getting stabbed through the gut by two tentacles didn't help, either.

Shinji had to chuckle, though. He could now joke that he did, indeed, know what it felt like to be penetrated by tentacles.

_'Oh, laughing hurts,'_ he thought for a second, then sat up in his bed. He leaned forward and touched his toes, stretching out his back and legs. He rose from the bed and continued with various stretching exercises, attempting to rid his body of that accursed stiffness.

Stretching turned into shadow sparring, and what should have lasted only ten minutes turned into a full hour's practice session. Shadow boxing always did have the same effect on him as meditation would.

As he finished his "match," Misato entered the room. She respectfully waited until he finished his exercises, then cleared her throat and made herself known.

"It's, uh, good to see you awake, Shinji," she started. "Feeling better?"

Shinji nodded. "Except for _still_ feeling stiff as all hell, I feel great."

"That's good to hear. Your classmates are being held in one of the isolation cells, and for some strange reason, Commander Ikari wants _you_ to go let them out." Misato sighed. "I was unaware that you held that much power over the EVA. I've never seen anything like that."

"Oh, that," he chuckled. "That was a technique developed by my sensei's father's sensei, _years_ before I was born. Hell, years before my _sensei_ was born. It apparently runs in their family, and I'll tell you, it's an absolute bitch to learn how to do." He coughed gently. "I've never seen someone without Saiyan blood manage to use the technique.

"However, it is extremely physically draining, and I doubt it's something I'll be able to destroy every Angel with. Especially if one of them happens to be fast enough to dodge the beam. That takes away nearly all of my strength; if I missed, I'd be a sitting duck."

Misato nodded. Her eyes looked through Shinji, however, and she sighed distractedly as he finished.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"The Commander... _is_... your father, right?" she asked.

"You want to know more about my tail, don't you?"

"... yeah. I want to know more about your tail."

He chuckled, looking for his clothes. "There's nothing else I can tell you about where I got it. I'd ask that bastard if I didn't think he'd lie to me about it." He found the stack of clothes where a nurse had left them, cleaned and pressed for wear. Turning so his back was to Misato, he stripped himself of his hospital gown and dressed in the black slacks and white shirt he had been issued.

"I need something to eat. I'm starving!" Shinji rubbed his stomach, and an urgent gurgle issued forth. "Know of any places with a buffet?"

Misato shook her head. "Nothing you could afford. Or me."

Shinji sighed. "I suppose I can wait until we get home."

"Actually, you need to go get your classmates out of isolation."

He winced. "Oh yeah. I forgot about them. Point me in the right direction."

–

There was a loud click, followed by a squeak and grind that seemed to bounce off the walls of the cell. Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida squinted and shaded their eyes against the sudden blast of light, both trying to make out the figure in the doorway.

"I told those guys to stick you in a dark cell, but this is ridiculous," the figure said. Toji and Kensuke both groaned in unison.

Slowly their eyes adjusted, but eventually the two schoolboys could make out the form and figure of one Shinji Ikari, standing unopposed in the cell doorway. Toji was the first to speak when he could see clearly.

"Crap. Are you here to yell at us again?" he asked.

"No. I won't yell at you again. One's enough." Shinji glared, then growled. "I won't save you again, either. One's enough."

Both boys nodded. "Noted," Kensuke replied.

"Now," Shinji said, "Are you ready to get the hell outta here?"

Both boys scrambled to their feet and started towards the door. Shinji stepped out of the way and let the both of them pass.

"By the way, Kensuke? NERV says you can't have your camera back."

"Aw man!" came the reply from the bespectacled kid.

–

The ride back to the apartment from the hospital was as silent as ever, but a mysterious tenseness permeated that silence. Shinji was sure Misato had something related to him on her mind, but he couldn't tell what it was. Ah well, perhaps she'll let slip over dinner.

Shinji rushed into the shower almost as soon as he crossed the threshold. He couldn't take anymore of his odor. It was a mixture of blood and sweat, and it made him sick to his stomach. I didn't matter how hungry he was, he wasn't going to subject himself to that assault, much less anyone else.

After a shower, Shinji began cooking dinner. Dinner consisted of the same thing it had when he had first moved in; rice and fish. This is why Misato had taken to cooking for herself.

Dinner was cooked (if you call microwaving instant curry and noodles for someone cooking), and the two sat down to eat. Shinji polished off a meal fit for an army squad by himself, while Misato sat and watched. Banter followed the usual pattern, and eventually conversation turned towards Shinji's body.

"My tail is my weak spot. All sensitivity is multiplied exponentially in my tail. I also have complete control over its movement. I'm used to wearing it around my waist. Saiyans have hidden their tails from other sapient species by mimicking a belt.

"My memories of my childhood are vague at best. I was abandoned by my sperm donor at three years old-"

Misato chuckled lightly. "That's a rather bleak way of looking at your father."

"He's not my father," Shinji growled in response. "A father sticks around to care for his child when the mother passes on. A father does not drop his child off with someone in the wilderness, never to be heard from again. A father does not cut off all contact with their offspring until such a time comes that he needs said child to fill a square hole where his own circle peg will not fit!" Shinji stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm relatively certain the outcome of this family would have been different if my mother were still alive, but as it stands, that bastard holds the title of father in sperm donation _only_."

"You sound like you've made up your mind about this."

Shinji nodded. "The community he left me with was the best family a young man could ever hope to ask for. They weren't afraid of my tail; they seemed to accept me even more because I had it. They comforted me through the grief of losing my mother, and through the anger of being discarded and forgotten by my father."

"If you hate the man so much," Misato started, "why are you here? In the same vein, why are you _still_ here? You obviously see your father as some kind of handyman with you as a tool, so why not leave?" She held her breath, hoping the boy wouldn't see the innocent questions as some new idea. Unspoken, Shinji was still the best guardian for humanity.

Shinji thought for a moment. "Son Goten was the best sensei anyone could ever hope for. He taught me to channel my emotions, and taught me different techniques for both offense and defense to deal with any situation. But my sensei instilled in me the greatest gift I have ever been given, and it is the very reason why I am still here: to fight.

"Life is a battle, and life is pain. I can either take up arms and fight, or curl into a ball and die. I am a proud Saiyan warrior, and I would sooner cut off my tail and eat it than run from my enemies. I won't leave until I have defeated every strong enemy that is thrown my way. And when all of these Angels, as you call them, have been defeated, then I'll go.

"But know this," he finished, "Ikari Gendo is no better than the Angels I have been called here to fight. When the EVA is no longer needed, not even the boundary between the earth and the spirit realm will be enough to stop me from exacting my vengeance upon him for the pain he's caused me. I'll leave when _ALL_ of my enemies are defeated..." For a moment, Shinji's normally brown eyes flashed emerald green. He left the statement unfinished, but nothing was left that needed to be said.

"So, no chance of you running away?" Misato joked.

Shinji grinned. "What, feel like chasing me?"

Misato blushed, feeling an intense and entirely unwanted lust creep into her body. She felt uncontrollably attracted to the power that this fourteen year old boy held, and was disgusted by herself for it. She hid her reaction by rising to fetch another beer from the fridge, and retrieved two; one for herself and one for her young charge. If her body was going to break social norms, why stop at unadulterated attraction?

Shinji caught the beer that was tossed at him, cracked the seal, and gulped down half the brew in one go. The act impressed Misato, ever the seasoned alcoholic. Shinji stopped to breathe and thank her, and both felt the tension in the air dissolve. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping on their beverages. Shinji was the first to speak up.

"I need some different clothes."

Misato blinked. "I thought you brought all your clothes with you?"

The boy shook his head. "I have the school clothes that were issued to me, as well as some training gis, but I have nothing for lounging in. I need something that accommodates my tail, and I very much doubt the school OR NERV wants me cutting holes in the school uniform. Not to mention, my gis are bright orange and blue; I'd _kind of_ stand out."

"Alright," Misato said, nodding. "I can take you clothes shopping tomorrow after school. Does that work for you?"

Shinji nodded in agreement, then furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you think Doctor Akagi would allow me to cut an opening in my plug suit for my tail?"

Two Days later-

"Absolutely not!" Ritsuko Akagi slammed her hands down on the table before her and stood up so fast she had to sit back down to let the blood rush back to her head. "The plug suit is a vital instrument in synchronization with the Evangelion! Cutting a hole in it may destabilize what is already a highly unpredictable science already!"

Shinji crossed his arms over his chest. "... there didn't seem to be any sync problems during the first Angel attack. I wasn't wearing a plug suit then."

Dr. Akagi sputtered and spat. The boy, ever observant, had caught her there.

"All I really need are the hair clips, right? The plug suit helps to amplify the same signals that the clips amplify. So what if there's a hole in it? My body would still be in full contact with every surface in the plug suit, and I wouldn't be distracted by the discomfort I feel every time I stuff my tail into that tight space. It's bad enough I can't just wrap it around my waist at school; at least let me have this freedom!"

Dr. Akagi thought over the proposal. The material the plug suit was made of wouldn't allow for a hole to be cut in the back of it. The connections it held would be severed or severely limited by the disconnect. "I'm sorry, Shinji, we can't modify your current plug suit."

Shinji huffed.

"However," she continued, "we should have a new model ready for you by the time another Angel attacks. One of our technicians seems to have taken a liking to you, Shinji, and has already put plans forth to adapt the plug suit to your physiology.

"On that note," she continued further, "a new entry plug design with a gyroscope has been completed, and we will begin testing with it tomorrow. We've been calling it the entry plug MKII, but most technicians like to call it the Gyroplug."

"All right!" Shinji exclaimed.

"We've also finished preliminary data recovery and testing from the last battle. Shinji, whatever it is that you did to fire such a large blast of energy from the EVA would have blown its hands apart had the armored plating not already been seared off. Commander Ikari advises you not to do it again, but Lt. Ibuki had a better idea.

"We've developed a pair of armored gloves for your EVA." Ritsuko handed a large pamphlet to Shinji, who flipped it open and began reading. "It leaves the palms of both hands exposed, which seriously impacts the safety rating of the EVA, but if the trade-off is being able to destroy an Angel in one shot, well..."

Shinji nodded. "So, training in the Gyroplug tomorrow. Any word on the next Angel attack?"

Heads shook all around the room. "Nobody knows when they will arrive. Not even the Commander. All we know is that there are more."

"Good," Shinji replied after a moment. The grin on his face looked scarily similar to the one the Commander often wore. "Bring 'em on!"


	8. Ooh, Eee, Ooh Aah Aah

**Author's note time!**

**Okay, so I got some complaints the last time I read through the reviews for this story. The biggest complaint was about power levels, and "how could Adam kill Goku?" Well, I have your answer here (since it probably won't show up in the story itself): Adam had an AT field that Goku could not penetrate.**

**"How is that possible? Goku has SSJ 1-4!" Not in my timeline. In this timeline, the battle against Frieza on Namek happens six months before Adam awakens. Goku is one of the beings transported to Earth through the wish on the Namekian Dragonballs, and Frieza dies in the explosion of the planet. Since Frieza was feared throughout the universe, his defeat at the hands of the Saiyan Goku made every other DBZ villain place a "Do Not Want" stamp on Earth.**

**Goku reached the first level of Super Saiyan, but went no further. This also ups the birth date of Goten, making him older in this story than he is in the DBZ timeline. This is a fanfiction, so there are going to be some timeline inconsistencies and artistic license. **

**One user doesn't want me to make this a Misato X Shinji story, on account of it being awkward and outside the boundaries of Evangelion's social norms. To you I ask: how much of the series have you seen?! Did you see any of the sexual tension shown by Misato towards Shinji throughout the show, even after Kaji entered the picture? What about the "adult kiss" she gives Shinji in EoE, and the promise of showing him "everything else" when it was all over? It's hard to maintain social norms in a world that has had half to three quarters of its population wiped out.**

**Don't worry, though. I have zero plans to make this story Shinji X Misato. The tension I'm building there is mainly for comic relief, not to mention I like toying with Misato's faux promiscuousness.**

**As far as appearances of the Oozaru and the reasoning behind the Kamehameha draining Shinji's energy, those will be answered further along in the story. For now, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was brilliant. The Gyroplug worked like a dream. It was probably the closest thing to completely open space as one could get from being in an enclosed space. A special harness was built in the center of the entry plug. When the plug filled with LCL, the plug expanded. A pair of gloves and a pair of shoes with special sensors were given to him, which would work in practice mode. A special battle plugsuit had to be designed to go with the new interface.

The entry plug itself was similar in shape to the previous capsule, but this one featured a special gyroscopic harness that suspended Shinji in the center of the plug. The new plugsuit would include sensors over the body to imitate the feeling of impact. Shinji would be completely free to move and unimpeded by ceiling or wall, as well as being able to control the EVA's fingers with his own rather than by buttons. The harness and plugsuit, when working in tandem, helped the EVA mimic his movements on the battlefield, accurate to within two milliseconds.

Battle information would be sent directly to the MAGI to be analyzed for future tactics and Evangelion improvement. Shinji was ecstatic.

"I want to know who designed this capsule. I wish to shake their hands before I break it in."

Ritsuko cleared her throat. "You'll meet him when he brings in the new plugsuit. For now, you need to practice. And remember, this is practice mode. No gigantic beams of light!"

-X-

A couple of days passed like normal, with Shinji being immersed in the "go to school, go home, maybe go to NERV" routine with much helpings of annoyance. It still felt so foreign to him, so boring. He wasn't used to the not having someone strong and capable to spar with. Hell, even having a skilled human martial artist that he could practice with would be better than this droll place.

He made friends with the two boys he had saved and scolded. Toji apologized for his attempt to punch Shinji, while Kensuke often rattled off question after question about the organization he fought for. Both boys were thoroughly impressed and intimidated by the power that this stranger possessed, both in the machine he commanded and his confidence, and their presence helped Shinji to tame the boredom, if only a little.

It was common for him to not pay attention in class, instead admiring Rei. She was so quiet, so mysterious. She never answered questions, never talked with friends, and never moved from her spot, even at lunchtime. And except for roll call, she seemed to be invisible to everyone else.

Shinji was curious about her. Why was she always alone? Why did she never eat lunch? What was this incredible giddy feeling he got in the pit of his stomach when he looked at her? And does she have any idea just how powerful she is?!

One morning before school, Misato asked Shinji to drop off Rei's renewed security card. Shinji agreed and made his way to her living complex.

He found her apartment in disarray, her mailbox shoved full of delivered envelopes, and her door unlocked. The surrounding building was similarly disheveled. Shinji gently rapt his knuckles against the door. There was no response.

He knocked again, a little louder this time. It was still light out, so she should have been home. He checked the door handle and found it to be unlocked, so he opened the door and stuck his head in. "Ayanami Rei, are you here? I was asked to give you something." Again, no response, so he entered the apartment.

He took his shoes off and entered the small apartment, looking around at the mess. The floor was dirty and unswept, and dishes were clean but still in the drain. In her bedroom, trash bags were filled with soiled bandages. Her bed looked to be in dire need of a laundry day. A pair of broken glasses lay atop a cabinet in the corner, and Shinji wondered if they were hers.

The sound of a curtain opening caught his attention, and Shinji spun around. Rei had appeared. Adorning her pale body was little more than water, a towel and a pair of slippers, but it was her eyes that Shinji was most interested in; a steady, piercing, _curious_ red. She looked at him with no shame in her expression, nor any other emotion for that matter. She looked like she simply did not care.

Shinji reached into his bag and pulled out her security card. "Dr. Ikagi meant to give you this card before you left. I'm her delivery boy, so to speak." He held out the card to her.

Rei reached out and took the card from him, then spun around gently and began to walk away. Shinji cocked his head at her. "You have no idea, do you?"

Rei stopped and turned back around. "About what?"

Shinji grinned, then shook his head. "Your appearance makes him smile, but he should be cowering at your feet like the slimy bastard he is." He turned and made to exit the apartment.

"Of whom do you speak?" Rei's voice wafted from the apartment as he shut the door behind him.

In the time before class, when everyone mingled and socialized, Rei approached Shinji. She was silent for a moment, then a stern look entered her eyes. "You spoke of-"

"-my father, yes."

"You are Commander Ikari's son, correct?"

Shinji nodded. "Unfortunately."

"How can you speak such things about your own father?"

Shinji would have spat in a very western fashion if he were outside. "He's a cowardly git who only has anything to do with you if he happens to have a use for you. A person like that is not to be trusted."

For a moment, a spark flickered in her brilliant red eyes. Rei stared at him angrily, then slapped him across the face. Though she was standing and Shinji was seated, the extra leverage did nothing to amplify the pain enough that Shinji would feel it, but he still experienced the impact. It silenced him for a moment, but as she stormed away to her desk he shook his head.

"Not a single clue."

-X-

The next Angel to attack did so in broad daylight, just as the previous Angel had. It looked like a large, floating blue diamond, and it moved at a steady pace towards the center of Tokyo-3. Alarms were sounded, the pilots were rounded up, and Shinji was packed into EVA Unit-01 to meet the enemy head on... in the old plug and suit.

"We're sorry, Shinji. There was a minor setback in the design of your suit concerning your tail," came Ritsuko's voice through the intercom.

Shinji huffed. "Fine. Just let me go kill this thing."

The EVA was sent hurtling up through the shaft, and Shinji rode the wave of gravity that threatened to absorb him into his seat. When he exited the tube at the top, Misato's voice rang out for him to watch out.

Shinji made to duck out of the way on instinct, but the EVA was still locked into its launchpad. This meant that Shinji had to bear the brunt of the next attack.

And what a brunt it was. The diamond molded and shifted and transformed its shape, revealing the red orb within it for a second before firing a large laser directly at Unit 01's chest. The pain that launched into Shinji was immense but still tolerable, but Shinji could do nothing but take it while the EVA remained locked.

"Unlock the EVA! Let him get outta there!" Shinji heard Misato yell, but another voice spoke up with something that Shinji knew would haunt his nightmares forever.

"We can't! _The EVA is melted to it!_"

Misato ordered that the blast shield be raised, and the pain in Shinji's chest subsided when the wall came up. He wrenched at the controls inside the entry plug, but the EVA could not move. The platform he stood on couldn't be lowered because it was melted to the street and shell, and Shinji couldn't move because his machine was melted to the platform and launch rails.

When the wall in front of him exploded, Shinji knew he was done for. The exponentially larger laser that hit his chest dug into his entire being and filled him with pain he had not even imagined before. The world inside NERV headquarters heard a young man scream for his very life at his father, who watched the boy fry silently. Shinji was unconscious but still screaming when the bolts holding the city block were finally blown to allow the Saiyan to escape the onslaught.

-X-

When he awoke, Shinji was lying in a white bed, in a white room. His hospital gown felt wet, as if he had gotten a shower in it. He felt stiff and pained, and noticed another figure in the room with him; Rei Ayanami.

He rolled the blankets down and sat himself up in the bed, stretching his arms and his back. He remembered being in the EVA, and remembered being struck with so much light and heat it felt like he was experiencing the cook cycle of an Easy Bake Oven. The last thing he remembered about the fight was barely hearing the bolts exploding beneath him before everything went black.

Movement to his side reminded him that he wasn't alone in the room. Rei lifted a small notebook to eye level and began reading off her scripted orders.

"Listen. At zero hundred hours tomorrow, operation Yashima is scheduled to begin. At nineteen thirty hours today, pilots Ayanami and Ikari will report to terminal two. At twenty hundred hours, EVA Units 00 and 01 will take position. At twenty oh five, we launch. Twenty thirty, we arrive at fortress two, Futigo mountain. From that point on, we await further orders." Rei closed the notebook and made to leave the room.

"Do you think this'll work?" Shinji asked her as she walked away.

"If you don't trust the plan, then stay here."

Shinji laughed. "What, and miss tearing apart another strong opponent? Not on your life." His eyes turned serious. "Are you afraid to die?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "I trust Commander Ikari. I will not die." She then exited the hospital room, leaving Shinji alone with his thoughts.

-X-

The pilots transported their mechas to the foot of Mount Futigo, then stood back as construction crews lifted the machines into place at the top of the mountain. In the distance, the blue diamond has extended a piece of itself into the ground and was trying to drill directly through the center of the geofront. Shinji wondered to himself just what exactly was being hidden down there.

The two pilots stood on the top of the fortress while they were given their orders by Misato. "Now then," she started, "you each have a specific role to perform in this operation. Shinji, you are the gunner in Unit 01. Rei is in charge of defense in Unit 00." Ritsuko chimed in, explaining the benefits of using Unit 01 over Unit 00 as far as the targeting system went, and then went on to explain how positron cannons were affected by the gravity, rotation, and magnetic field of the earth. Shinji was able to understand most of it, but he was annoyed by the way he had to, once again, use the old plugsuit and entry plug.

"Aim for, and strike, the core. Only by destroying the core will you destroy the Angel," Ritsuko explained.

"I know, Dr. Ikagi. I _have_ done this before," Shinji shot back.

"So," Rei spoke up, "my only job is to protect Unit 01?"

"Correct" answered Ritsuko.

Rei nodded. "I understand."

Misato spoke up. "It's time. You two go get changed." The pilots nodded.

In the changing room, Shinji and Rei were separated by only a thin sheet. He could see her silhouette as she stripped bare, then stepped into her plugsuit and pressed the button that wrapped it snugly against her body. He already had his plugsuit on.

"You're wrong, son of Ikari," Rei answered back coldly. "You won't die, because _I_ will protect you." She exited her side of the changing room, and Shinji grinned.

"I can feel it."

-X-

The pilots sat on the rooftop of the fortress overlooking the valley of Tokyo-3. The entirety of the country of Japan was experiencing a blackout in preparation for the immense amount of electricity it was going to take to fire the makeshift positron rifle. The landscape was hard to identify under the dark clouds that were blocking out the stars.

Shinji leaned back on his hands, then looked over at Rei. "Why do you pilot the EVA?"

Rei looked straight ahead at the valley. "Because... it's a bond."

Shinji was puzzled. "You're... bonded to it?"

Rei nodded, though Shinji couldn't see it. "To everyone."

"So," Shinji continued, "you pilot because you have a bond. No other reasons?"

"I _have_ nothing else."

Shinji was going to say something more when Rei suddenly stood up. "It's time," she said simply.

It was at that moment that the clouds in the sky deemed it necessary to roll back and let some celestial light through. A handful of stars shone bright above their heads, but the scenario changed when the moon, bright and full, was fully revealed.

Shinji had never felt a feeling like the sensations he was riding now. The moon looked so inviting, and its presence seemed to promise unfathomable power. His plugsuit also felt uncomfortably tight...

Before Rei's eyes, Shinji transformed. His body erupted from his plugsuit and grew to a towering height, while his face and body changed to that of a gigantic monkey. His eyes glowed red, and he let loose a magnificent and terrible cry that echoes throughout Tokyo-3. Even the lowly humans huddled in their shelters heard the threatening roar of the Oozaru.

Oozaru Shinji turned towards the biggest power level he could find on the planet: the Angel. Instinct told him that to conquer this planet, the strongest enemy must be destroyed first. Shinji leapt from the top of the fortress and ran at the Angel, ignoring its twisting transformations, and was met with another laser blast that threatened to cook him.

The Oozaru fired a ki blast of his own from his mouth, and the two blasts met each other mid way. The Angel's blast curved around Shinji's and tore into Mount Futigo's base, destroying the connections that had been set up to power the positron rifle and completely rendering Misato's plan moot. Shinji's ki blast, however, ripped into the side of the Angel, completely ignoring its AT field and taking a chunk out of the Angel's body.

The Angel screamed loudly, its firing ceasing and blood exploding from within it. Shinji ignored its pain and leapt on to its back, beating its sides with his fists and gouging it roughly with his teeth. The Angel twisted and warped itself again, this time creating tendrils that grabbed the Oozaru and pulled it within itself, attempting to trap this fearsome creature within its body. This turned out to be a horrible idea.

As the mighty Oozaru, Shinji's power was ten times that of his normal Saiyan form. When he felt the body of the Angel collapse around him and attempt to trap him, a single intelligent thought blasted through his consciousness, eroding the primal instinct that threatened to destroy the world: _get the core!_

The red orb was there, right there in front of him, within reach of his fingertips! The Angel, in its haste to protect its outer shell, completely misjudged Shinji's strength, thinking it could hold him still while it finished its assault on Tokyo-3. When it felt the monkey start to move, it concentrated its efforts on keeping him hostage. When it felt Shinji's fingertips brush the outer edge of its core, it panicked. And when it felt that terrible blast echo forth from the great creature's maw, it knew its life was ended.

Shinji's terrible roar echoed once again throughout the city of Tokyo-3, and from within the Angel, an enormous blast of light erupted. The diamond transformed suddenly into what looked like a gigantic cactus, each reflective side showing the Oozaru rampaging inside. Shinji's fur looked to be dyed red, and shards of a red orb were swirling around him. The Angel then began to dissolve from the tips of its spines to its center into blood, which threatened to drown the city.

The deafening roar of victory that Shinji let loose was to be short lived, as Unit 00 appeared behind him. Rei had deployed her progressive knife, and with one smooth motion, she lopped off Shinji's tail. Shinji's roars cut off, and he stood still for a moment. Then without warning, the giant monkey began to shrink. In seconds, the naked form of Shinji Ikari lay unconscious on the ground at Unit 00's feet, next to a monkey's tail the length of a city block.


	9. Rock, Meet Hard Place

_Orange. Almost like water. A big, open space before me, dark. Lonely. I am at peace._

Shinji's eyes opened to an orange hue, himself floating naked in a tank of LCL. He had a blurry memory of a fight with an angel, and felt an oddly painful sensation at the base of his tail. His father stood before him in the massive room, his eyes never wavering from the boy's face.

Shinji had less than a second to react before his exhaustion took over and he again fell into a regenerative slumber.

-X-

Shinji woke to find himself in his room at Misato's apartment, and was thoroughly confused. As was the norm for most Angel fights, Shinji had been used to waking up at the hospital. He felt all the familiar stiffness from a fight, as well as a curious itch at the base of his tail. He sat up in his bed eager to stretch out his limbs, but the fading memory of a dream stayed in his mind. A dream of his father, and of peace, and... _orange_.

He shook the thought from his mind and stood up from his bed to stretch, but stumbled. His center of gravity and his balance felt _off_. Like the agilty he used to have was gone, or at least highly affected. He looked behind him, then rubbed his eyes and looked again.

He was startled and incredibly pissed off, and rightly so, and the entire apartment complex in which they lived shook with his fury. "Where the hell is MY TAIL?!"

-X-

"So, Shinji, are you looking forward to tomorrow?" The tone of the question was almost _unbelievably_ sarcastic. Misato looked at the boy from across the kitchen, her face and body half hidden by many cans of beer.

Shinji huffed lightly. "Misato, for the hundredth time, yes, I am looking forward to tomorrow."

Misato stuck her tongue out at the boy. "Fine, fine, I'll leave you alone about it, but only if you promise me one thing."

Shinji's raised eyebrow was all the prodding she needed. "Don't send the Commander to the hospital. If an Angel decides tomorrow is a great day to attack, we'll kind of need him to make important decisions."

"I promise nothing," came the reply. It was totally the opposite of what the Lieutenant was expecting, but she didn't let that stop her.

"Then I guess I'll just have to keep asking. By the way, are you looking forward to tomorrow?"

-X-

The graveyard spread before Shinji reminded him of the vast deserts he remembered from growing up. However, instead of scattered hills and sparse plant and animal life, instead Shinji saw rows upon rows upon ROWS of memorial gravestones, each the same as the one before it, and each titled with a different name. Shinji had not visited this grave since the first time his adopted family had stopped to pay their respects to their former kin.

It was early. It was early enough that the sun felt late in its rising. As the new light crested over the sprawling gravesite, Shinji meditated. Breathe in, breathe out. Steady the racing heartbeat, calm the burning rage. Shinji did not hear the footsteps approaching him, but he felt the aura of his father, and opened a single eye when the man stopped before him.

"I did not think you would make it here, old man," Shinji spoke, making no effort to hide the malice in his voice.

"I am here every year, without fail, boy," came the icy rebuttal.

Shinji breathed as gently as his anger would allow, and stood up in front of the man he was forced to call father. "If that was a jab at my presence, it was badly timed. I've been here on this day, every year, _without fail_, since you abandoned me in the desert. Your failure to see me is your own flaw, not mine."

Gendo grunted in reply, but otherwise showed no reaction. It was hard to tell what his eyes were saying behind the reflective lenses of his glasses.

Shinji sighed. "I don't remember much of her at all," he said, facing the gravestone of his mother, Yui. "I can't remember her face, her clothes, her smell… only that her death was the result of some great flash of white light. I suppose it's wishful thinking to suggest that you have a picture of her?"

"Indeed. Nothing is left but the memory I carry within my heart."

Shinji chuckled hollowly. "It's all you focus on, too. Even when it means ignoring your own kin, your own child, your own _blood_."

A single eyebrow raised behind the glasses. "Sore about your tail, are you?"

Shinji said nothing, only turned and began to walk away. Behind him, he sensed the aura of Rei, accompanied by the sounds of a jet transport that was beginning its landing sequence. In another time, in another life, he would have stopped, would have turned and thanked that foul man for his time. But that would have been another Shinji, not the one in the here and now.

-X-

"So, how did it go?" The words rang with sarcasm lined with a bit of worry, and Shinji could do little but smirk.

"No, the _Commander_ isn't in the hospital, Misato. Beating up a weakling isn't in my job description."

The two NERV employees got into Misato's beat up Renault and headed for the base, mostly in silence. The air between them was tense for a few moments before Misato finally broke the monotony.

"I never told you before, but your relationship with your father kind of reminds me of my own. I hated my father in much the same fashion as you hate yours."

Shinji looked at the older woman. "Did your father abandon you too?"

Misato looked at Shinji thoughtfully. "While he may not have physically abandoned me, after my mother died, he paid little attention to me and poured everything he had into his work. It was like I didn't even exist to him, and I felt hatred of immense proportions for him because of it."

"I feel like there's a feel good ending to this."

Misato's brow furrowed. "I guess, if you call him giving his life during Second Impact to make sure I survived."

Shinji opened his mouth to apologize when a massive missile casing crashed into the ground in front of their car, causing Misato to swerve erratically as she avoided it. She was instantly on her phone, contacting the base and informing them of the situation, and was about to order the deployment of an EVA when she exclaimed something about Unit 02. Shinji, not really paying attention and thinking about jumping from the car to go fight the Angel that was _obviously_ attacking, noticed the carrier jet bringing in the EVA before Misato exclaimed anything.

Then he saw the Angel. It was a giant walking stick, with a bird-like head, walking across the water. The water froze underneath it, allowing the Angel to stand without sinking. The head seemed to work like a clock just before blasting the artillery ships, leaving gigantic pink energy crosses in its wake. The screams from the sailors as their ships were tossed about like toys registered faintly in the half-Saiyan's ears.

The carrier jet released the EVA it was carrying, and the battle played out in quick order. Unit 02 seemed to defy the laws of gravity and physics as it danced through the sky, pelting the Angel with gigantic crossbow rods, and dodging the spear-like projectiles the Angel fired in response. The original form of the Angel collapsed with the first shot, and when it reformed itself, the pilot of the EVA was ready. Unit 02 fired a line of rods at the Angel's head, which stacked one on top of the other, stalled by the massive creature's AT Field.

Shinji was sure he could hear a female's voice shouting a battlecry as the EVA aimed a kick for the line of crossbow shots. Its heel connected with the topmost rod, and the speed with which it was traveling caused the shot at the top to split all the rods below it, eventually meeting (and breaking through) the AT Field and piercing the Angel's core.

The beautiful explosion was marred only by Shinji's ego and the realization that he himself had not been the one to defeat the Kaiju. This thought was the only thing that distracted him from the giant robot's landing, which was far too close to Misato's car for comfort. The shockwave launched the car into the air, and it eventually came to a rest at the base of Unit 00, who had come to aid Unit 02 a little late.

"Situation clear!" There was that female voice again, this time much clearer to Shinji than it had been before.

-X-

As the enormous EVA passed by on its trek towards NERV headquarters, Shinji couldn't help but gasp in awe at the view. It was colored red, like blood. The color of anger, of brashness, of _battle_. Shinji could barely find the words to express his thoughts.

"Red's an... interesting color. For an EVA, anyway."

"That's not the only thing that's _interesting_ about my Unit 02." There it was again, that haughty, arrogant voice. Definitely female, and it made Shinji's blood rage with desire. What desire? Not even he could tell exactly. He glanced up to the source of the voice, and bounding down the monstrosity with an almost fluid litheness was a firey redhead in a bright red Pilot's suit. Her skin was pale; not nearly as pale as Rei, mind you, but still lighter than his own.

Her budding figure would have aroused any teenage male, and indeed it was having a small effect on Shinji. That effect was kept small by that voice of hers. It was headstrong and confident, but whiny and helpless at the same time. The girl had long since landed at the catwalk and was explaining about how her Evangelion was _superior_ to his own model in every way.

"But Unit-02 is the final product. It's the world's very first true Evangelion. Perfect in every way." _Geez, that voice is annoying._

Misato showed up, announcing the girl's name as Asuka, and the two chatted for a bit. It wasn't long, however, before she rounded on the three gentlemen standing nearby.

"And... one of you must be the daddy's boy who lucked his way into the Unit-01 cockpit?" Her eyes sparkled like those of a toddler who is used to bullying its parents, and who expected the new roommate to behave the same way.

"You called?" Shinji gave a half-hearted wave and faked a smile, giving the most sarcastic look of politeness he could muster.

"What are you, stupid?! Were you too busy to help me out? Not like I needed it!"

Shinji could see her test coming from a mile away. Her foot meant to catch him behind the ankles and alter his center of gravity, causing him to fall flat on his ass and giving her a chance to preen herself as Queen of the Whatever. She also expected him to be tripped up, so imagine her surprise when instead he countered, and found herself held in his arms like they were dancing and he was dipping her. She briefly flushed red, then glared at the boy when he raised her to her feet.

"Missy, I could have taken that thing bare-handed." He crossed his arms. "I've got more skill in my hair than you have in your entire lifetime, and a history of the greatest warriors in the entire universe fuels my family tree, so don't for a minute think that you're superior just because your creature-mech-thing was actually built for war."

He let her face fill with confusion for a second before he leaned in real close. "If the carpenter has no training, then what good are his tools?"

Asuka's face turned so red, Shinji swore the girl would have glowed in a dark room. She brought her hand up to slap his face, but stopped with a dropped jaw as Shinji skipped backwards _on the air_ away from her hand. The young boy continued to astonish and amaze the crowd of NERV when he actually _flew away_.

-X-

Shinji had been saving that for when an Angel attacked and he would need a flying machine, but he couldn't help but play with the self-righteous girl's psyche. Maybe if he made her mad enough, he could have an actual sparring match with her. His aunt Bulma always seemed to get stronger the madder she got at Trunks.

X-X

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait on this one. While I am positively sure I can write Asuka, I am quite unsure that I can write an Asuka confronted. (Also, I moved to Mexico and have needed time to adjust to a work schedule, a different culture, an actual love-life, and a MUCH BIGGER city to live in)**

**I agree, this feels rushed, and somewhere Shinji has managed to pick up information about himself that he shouldn't know already... _unless he knows it already..._ .**

**Anyway, I hope to resume my writing speed that I had half a year ago.**


	10. The One Where Shinji Shows Off

**_Hey guys! I got all inspired for this chapter, and decided to make it extra long! In fact, I might one day come back and rewrite this chapter to make it even longer, since I still can't write a battle scene for shit!_**

**_Any who, I know that last chapter seemed short and rushed. I'm sorry. Getting back into the mood during an introduction chapter seemed to suck all the creativity out of me for a little while. But no worries! I'm back and ready to move forward with this thing!_**

_**X-X**  
_

Shinji spent the remainder of the day flying about the mountains nearby and sparring with his shadows among the trees. He had to chase away that strange feeling of loss about not defeating the Angel himself. He knew it wasn't truly his fault, and that fiery devil of a girl Asuka was just blowing steam for the sake of appearing in control.

But it made him lose control. The things he had learned about his family tree, and his father's race, that he had been sworn to secrecy about, and _her little show of attitude was all that it took to make_\- ugh. It made his head hurt.

Shinji soon grew bored of chasing his shadow, and so decided to fly out to Tokyo-2. Arriving there, he meditated for some time. Many hours passed during his meditations, and soon it was dark. Shinji made his way home under the light of the moon, finally having cooled off from earlier in the day.

The lights were still on in the house when Shinji walked through the front door. He removed his shoes and walked gently into the foyer, then turned and went down the hallway towards his room. As he approached his door, however, he realized two things.

Firstly, he spotted most of his stuff in the garbage, or half out of the garbage, almost as if it had been tossed and then halfheartedly retrieved. Also, there were boxes everywhere that indicated vanity of the highest level was attempting a coup d'é·tat.

That brought him to the second realization: _there was a foreign entity in his room_. While he could barely feel its power level, the fact that any_thing_ else was in his room, tossing out his belongings, and regarding him as next to nothing was making his blood boil. He had a sneaking suspicion as to who it was that was moving in and attempting to kick him out.

The sound of Misato coming out of her room caught his attention, but as he opened his mouth to protest, she held up a finger.

"You'll both be staying here," she said in a flat tone. "By order of the Commander." Misato rapt her knuckles against the bedroom door and called for Asuka to come out. She had the three of them sit at the dining room table to discuss the changes that were to take place.

"The Commander wasn't there at the meeting between you two," she started, "but he was able to view it from several security cameras. He feels that you both acted rashly, and that the hostility shown between you two pilots-"

"I wasn't being hostile!" whined Asuka. "I was just trying to show this _fool_ how much he'd get in my way!"

Shinji said nothing, only crossed his arms and grinned in defiance, but that only made the redhead louder. She continued to whine and moan and complain until Misato had had enough.

"The Commander believes that the two of you cohabiting for a while will ease the tension between you. After a period of ninety days, should the two of you make tremendous leaps in your attitude towards each other as well as the attitudes directed towards those around you, the Commander is willing to move Shinji elsewhere."

Asuka balked at the number. "_THREE MONTHS?!_ I'm supposed to live with this fool for _three months_ before I get any peace?" She hmphed and hawwed and threw herself around the living room like some kind of spoiled orangutan. After five minutes or so of her her showing her ass, she finally settled in at the table.

"Alright, _Third Child_, let's get some things straight here," she began.

"I'm listening," Shinji replied, calmly.

Asuka thought for a second, then shook her head. "Nevermind, you'll learn better on your own, I suppose. I don't need to hold your hand." She yawned and stood, then stretched in an exaggerated fashion. "I don't suppose I could go back to bed now, could I? I have a big day tomorrow, as you said earlier."

Misato sighed and waved her on. Shinji also yawned and stood, but said nothing. As Shinji went to gather his sleeping roll, Misato sighed again and spoke up.

"We'll get sleeping arrangements figured out tomorrow, Shinji. For now, I think we're all a bit beat. I originally came out here for a beer, but now I don't want one. Hm..." Misato scratched her head and stood there for a moment, dazed. Then she shook her head and headed for her room. "Goodnight, Shinji."

"Goodnight, Misato," came his reply. Then Shinji made up his own bed on the floor in the living room next to a window, bundled up, and passed out.

**-X-**

_**Meanwhile, at the Tokyo-3 transit station...**_

Kaji looked at his worn map, then at the station map, then around at all the people buzzing through the station. He sighed, then folded his map up and put it in his pocket.

_"I've only been gone two years, but I don't recognize a single thing," _he thought to himself. _"Where the fuck do I go from here?!"_

**-X-**

_**Okay, back to Shinji, plus six hours...**_

Time for school, a tedious task in which Shinji got to act like he was paying attention. But if his luck was any indication, a very... _entertaining_ individual was going to appear to attempt to make his life a living hell.

He walked to the middle of the room and took his seat, but noticed as he did so that Toji and Kensuke both flinched. Away from him.

"What's up?" he offered to his two friends.

"You abandoned us, Shinji," Kensuke replied, in a dead tone. "You literally _flew away_ and left us to defend ourselves against the devil herself."

"That banshee screech voice," Toji said. "Screaming, stomping, ordering us to find you, on threat of death. It was horrible, man! How could you leave us like that?! _How could you fly away?!" _He took a breath and calmed himself, then looked Shinji square in the eyes. "Can you teach me?"

Kensuke joined in. "Teach me too!"

Shinji sighed. He had become so focused on Asuka that he had forgotten about the two or three _other_ audience members! He might be able to dissuade them, however... "I might be able to teach you if you can tell me what _ki_ is."

Toji furrowed his brow real tight and cocked his head to the side. Kensuke did the same, and muttered a quiet "... _ki_?" in response. It made Shinji chuckle.

"Then no, I can't teach you."

Hikari rose and commanded the class to rise, then sit, as the teacher entered the room. Then came the sight Shinji had been expecting all morning. Fiery red hair, piercing blue eyes, A10 clips still used as barrettes and wouldn't you know it? A fake smile and "cheery" disposition to top everything off. Her eyes were closed, which made the next few moments passionately hilarious.

She walked in and announced her name, then made a sweep of the room with her eyes. They settled for a moment on Shinji's, then immediately made a beeline for the nearest open seat in the room; next to one Hikari Horaki. The two, once class had started and the teacher began to drone on over Second Impact, seemed to strike up a fast-forming friendship.

Toji sat in his seat making sputtering noises, and Kensuke couldn't seem to pick his jaw up from the floor. But to Shinji, this was just another day in the land of the Kaiju. Considering himself and Rei were both in the same class, it was only logical that NERV would place its new pilot(s) here too. Her appearance today made Shinji think that NERV banked on the fact that most early teenagers are too naive and too preoccupied with their own selves to pick up on the strange coincidences.

Shinji, however, was trained under two of the most brilliant minds seen in Japan, and had little trouble pointing out NERVs flaws and farces. Though they did well to hide it, Shinji knew. And the biggest flaw of them all?

"Oh, hello, Rei," Shinji said as the blue-haired girl approached him.

It was lunchtime, and Shinji was on the school's roof, seated precariously upon the rooftop's railing. He was greatly enjoying the rice balls he had prepared for himself, and though he was almost _certain_ the demon hadn't touched them, he had even made extra for Asuka (which was an accomplishment, because he had made a full dozen just for himself).

"Greetings, Shinji Ikari," came the monotone, soft-spoken reply. Then, as she was so prone to do, she jumped straight to her mission. "What is it that I have no idea about?"

_Gotcha._

Shinji grinned, then jumped down from the railing. He stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned in close to her face, their noses nearly touching. "Your _power._ I can feel it; it has no boundary." He leaned up straight again and took a step back, breathing in deeply. "You are the strongest creature on this planet, and I use that as a compliment."

Rei cocked her head sideways in much the same way that Toji and Kensuke had earlier, and then questioned the revelation before her. "I am... _not human_?"

Shinji shrugged. "Neither am I, but that's not important. The important part is to tap into that power. I want to teach you how to draw out your power through your EVA."

Rei had looked forward by this time, and her eyes locked with Shinji's. "Like you do?"

Shinji nodded.

"Should we not also invite pilot Sohryu into this training?" Rei inquired.

"Do you think she'd accept an invitation from either of us?" Shinji countered. His face grew serious. "By all means, if you think she'd take it seriously, you can attempt to talk to her. But today, we'll focus on you."

Rei opened her mouth to confirm today, but by then Shinji was completely across the rooftop. He formed a small ball of ki in his hand, no bigger than a golf ball, then without warning he chucked it directly at Rei, as hard as he could. Immediately, his right hand shot to his face, and he formed a "gun" with his fore and middle fingers.

"_San..._" he chanted, focusing on the ball of light. When it was a foot away from the girl, he sharply shouted, "... PU!" He then used his fingers to "shoot" the little ball of ki, which exploded into twenty or so _smaller_ fragments of ki. These fragments scattered around the girl's body and proceeded to detonate all around her.

The purpose of the attack was to surprise a defensive reaction from the girl. Rei brought her hands up over her chest and tucked her head in tight, and Shinji could see the ki ricocheting off...

'_Wait a moment, is that an AT Field?!_' Shinji's mind collapsed for a split second, just long enough for the shockwave that Rei sent out in response to knock him off his feet. He shook his head as he rose, coughing from surprise and laughing from pure, unfiltered, relentless _joy_.

He walked calmly and carefully towards Rei, smiling. He stopped right next to her, and leaned in close to her ear. "_That_ power, Rei. Let's tap in to _that_ power." Then he walked back down and into the school.

The school day finished in short fashion, and soon after the school bell rang, so did the Angel alarms. The three pilots rushed to headquarters, quickly suited up, and prepared to fight the new threat.

**-X-**

Shinji stood with his comrades in the briefing room, and Misato was outlining the plan for battle.

"The recent battle has severely damaged Tokyo-3's intercept system. Only 26% of our defense capability has been restored," she explained. "In addition, our operational capability for actual combat is virtually nil, therefore we're going to have to intercept the target at the waters edge, right before it makes land. Units One and Two will launch alternating attacks on the target until it is destroyed. Any questions?"

Asuka shook her head, but Shinji frowned. "You mean we have to take turns? Why can't I just go up and obliterate it with a Kamehameha?"

Misato crossed her arms. "What, and take the chance to lose you AND your EVA in the chance that you miss?"

Shinji opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again. The last time he'd used the blast, he'd been rendered unconscious from the strain. She had a point. "Fine. We'll take turns."

He then turned to Asuka. "Don't get in my way."

**-X-**

The two EVAs stood on the shoreline awaiting the arrival of the Angel. Asuka took point, battle stance at the ready, and Shinji kept back, allowing the girl to go first. The water before them began to shimmer, and then a large object rose from beneath the waves.

"That's it!" exclaimed Shinji, and Asuka rushed forward.

She held in her hands a large lance with a blade on one end, and she used that blade to easily cleave the monstrosity in half. Asuka began to celebrate, but Shinji was having none of it.

"Stay awake, fool! The target isn't dead yet!"

Asuka's mech whipped around to face Shinji. "It's cut into two pieces, and it has ceased movement. I'd say it's dead!"

Shinji's mech pointed in response, and Asuka whipped back around to find herself within striking range of _two_ Angels, instead of just one. Asuka had just enough time to mutter, "_Schiss_," before the two Angels bore down on her, each connecting one fist each with her EVA and sending it tumbling away and into the water.

When they turned to look at Shinji, the great purple mech was already in their faces. This was his first time using the Gyroplug, and Shinji was already using it to its full potential. The Angels both wailed down on him, and he was able to counter each of their attacks with deft precision; hand-to-hand combat was, after all, his forte.

One would swing, he'd duck. The other would go to kick at him, and he'd launch himself off of its leg, flipping and tumbling as if the gravity of the world didn't affect him. He brought his foot down on top of the head of one, then jump back up as the other threw another punch in his direction, causing the Angel to miss him completely and only manage to smash its twin in the face.

Shinji landed on the shoreline facing the Angels, roaring with the fury of battle. Asuka rose from the water behind him and rushed forward, tackling one of the Angels like a linebacker would. The other twin focused on Shinji and, free of its sibling, started attacking without holding back. Shinji finally found himself facing an even opponent, and the two warriors traded hits back and forth for a time before the Angel finally blasted him with a charge attack, sending his EVA flying away.

Purely as coincidence, Asuka had also been blasted back by _her_ opponent, and the two tumbling mechs collided with each other. Shinji was the first to rise. He said nothing and rushed back into battle. It was at this moment that Asuka decided he was _worthy_.

Shinji tore straight at his half of the Angel. As the creature began to swing, his EVA seemed the fade out of existence, only to reappear the same way _above_ the Angel. Like, fifteen stories in the air, directly above the monster.

As the Angel looked up, Shinji launched a barrage of blasts at the beast, each originating from his EVAs palms. As they neared the Angel, Shinji suddenly pulled his hands upwards, and the various ki blasts seemed to curve upwards against the body of the twin. Most of the blasts were blocked by the creature's AT-Field, but the one or two that got through were enough to propel his opponent into the air.

Shinji, through the Gyroplug of his EVA, then grabbed his progressive knife. In one single motion, he drove the blade of the knife directly into the core of the startled Angel half. He also continued that momentum, defying all laws of physics, sending the Angel plummeting to the ground.

One half of Israfel lay beaten and broken at the bottom of a pit that was slowly filling with water. Now he could rush to help Asuka, and get this battle done and over with. Maybe fill her half with energy blasts, or maybe grab the Angel in a half nelson and let Asuka wreak havoc on it with some special beam cannon, or- Oh, wait.

"What the ffff-" was all Shinji managed to say before a large blast of purple light barreled up from the hole. It caught him and his EVA with the full force, sending him tumbling into the sky and snapping his power cable in one go. The EVA met the apex of the cross left in the sky before Shinji managed to get the machine under control, finally flying his machine to the ground. Unit-01's armor was smoking, and Shinji himself felt a bit crisp.

The Angel rose once more from the water. It grasped the handle of Shinji's progressive knife and pulled it free from its core, which then instantaneously healed. It then rushed forward in much the same fashion that Shinji had, shoulder-charging the robot and sending it flying away.

Shinji was growing tired of being tossed around. He rose from his landing point and turned to face the Angel, only to get knocked down again by Unit-02, who had landed in his arms. The two robots lay in a tangled heap, and Shinji managed to rise to a kneeling position before the battery in his EVA gave out.


	11. Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Both Shinji and Asuka stood solemnly in the briefing room, silently accepting their defeat as the previous battle showed on the viewscreen. Lieutenant Ibuki began the debrief.

"Today at 10:58.15 A.M," she started, "Units One and Two engaged the target at Surugawan Bay. The target separated into two enemies, codenamed Alpha and Beta, which were then attacked by the Evangelions. Though both EVAs fought brilliantly, neither were able to dispatch the targets."

Shinji and Asuka both sighed, then shot daggers at each other with their eyes, as if they blamed each other for the loss.

Maya continued. "At 11:10 A.M. Nerv abandoned the operation and transferred command to the UN Secondary force."

Lt. Commander Fuyutsuki spoke up. "We've been completely humiliated."

"At 11:12 A.M., UN forces made an attack with an N2 mine. The attack managed to burn off 28% of the target's structural substance."

Fuyutsuki spoke again. "We'll have to redraw the maps _again_. What a disaster!" He turned on the two pilots and asked them a question. "You two! Just what do you think your job is?"

Asuka was the first to speak. "Piloting EVA, duh!"

Shnji turned his head on Asuka and glared at her. "WRONG! It's to defeat the Angels!"

Fuyutsuki responded furiously. "Precisely, Shinji, which is why you will never allow NERV to make grotesque public spectacles like this! The two of you will learn to work together! That is an order!"

Shinji and Asuka glared at each other, then turned away, each crossing their arms over their chests. In unison, they complained, "Why should we?"

A new voice spoke up, revealing its owner from the dark. "Because regardless of your skill alone, if you can't work together, you may as well be bait."

"Kaji!" exclaimed Asuka. Shinji rolled hs eyes.

Fuyutuski spoke up. "That's enough. It's only a matter of time before the Angel resumes its attack, and as pathetic as this battle ended up being, it's a minor blessing that we have the time to recoup. We'll check our resources and get to work on a gameplan. In the mean time, Shinji, Asuka, you will spend 100% of your waking moments together, until you learn to work as a team; that's an order."

As the Lieutenant Commander stormed out of the briefing room, Kaji and Maya followed. The pilots were too busy glaring at each other to pay much attention to their surroundings. The two were interrupted by another new voice, decidedly male, and recognized by Shinji.

"I have an idea that may help the two of you," it said.

Shinji's head whipped around violently, and his suspicions were confirmed. "Trunks?!"

The purple-haired man smiled at the mention of his name. "Good to see you too, Shinji. It's been, what, four years?"

"What are you doing here?!" Shinji could hardly contain his excitement.

"Four years ago, Capsule Corp became a subsidiary of NERV, and I was assigned here in Research and Development. That new Gyroplug of yours? I helped to design that." He chuckled a bit to himself and continued. "I must say, it was an idea the rest of us hadn't even thought of, and I am happy to have had a hand in the design."

Asuka, who had until this point stayed silent, asked out of the blue, "So, you've designed something that will help us in the next battle?"

Trunks turned to the red-haired pilot. "Actually, what I'm speaking of has been around for centuries, and it's purely luck that it managed to survive Second Impact."

Shinji squinted. "... what survived?"

Trunks smiled. "I can't tell you. I'll have to show you."

**-X-**

Kinks appear in plans throughout life, and this was no exception. Asuka and Shinji, upon arriving and their home, found Misato before them with a plan to defeat the Angels that neither of them liked. They would eat, sleep, do chores, do training _together,_ until the two were completely in sync. AND, they would do this within 6 days, which is the approximate time NERV had estimated the angel would begin its attack again.

Due to the explosive personalities of the two pilots, this was proving to be a problem. Each was blaming the other for little mistakes in routine training, and by day three, it started getting physical. Asuka slapped Shinji several times, and Shinji shoved Asuka around a bit in response. There was plenty of taunting between the two of them, and were in the middle of a heated arguement when a knock on the door was heard.

Upon opening the door, who should appear but **Trunks**!

"Wow, never expected you two to be shackin' up together, too!"Trunks winked heartily and made a show of surprise.

Shinji crossed his arms while Asuka huffed, and both in sync replied, "Oh, shut up."

Trunks chuckled, then asked, "Is Lieutenant Katsuragi home?"

Shinji nodded. "She's asleep. Long night at work."

Trunks thought for a moment. "I do need to discuss something with her. Mind if I wait around for her to wake up?"

"I am awake," came a reply from behind the two pilots. Misato stumbled into view, half dressed and moaning like a zombie. "You're the representative from Capsule Corp, are you not?"

"Yes, ma'am," came Trunks' reply. He wasn't intimidated by the woman before him, though he still showed her a great deal of respect. "Trunks Briefs, at your service."

Asuka burst out laughing at the full name. Shinji shot her a glare that silenced her on the spot. Misato welcomed the scientist into her home, and the group sat around the table in the living room to discuss whatever Trunks had come up with.

"I have been granted a one-day pass to take Asuka and Shinji to a training ground where they can hone their skills."

Misato blinked at him. "What good is one day? Take two."

Trunks shook his head. "You only need one day."

Misato shrugged her shoulders. "You want them now?"

Trunks shook his head. "Tomorrow. 0500 hours. They'll be well trained by the time they return."


	12. Prelude to Oblivion, Part I

**Author's Note: My computer has gone to shit. My screen decided that, on my birthday, it was going to stop working. So now I have no computer.**

**I'm on vacation right now, and managed to get this short chapter typed out and am posting it, but I doubt I'll be able to post another one before I go back home. We'll see what happens.**

**On that note, you have NO IDEA the conflict I had trying to make the introduction of the HTC believable in the EVA-verse. I gave it my best shot.**

* * *

At precisely 0500 hours the next morning, Shinji and Asuka stood waiting at the front door to Misato's apartment. When Trunks showed up, decked out in a training gi, Shinji could hardly keep the smile off of his face. He remembered training with Trunks for years before the young man had to come to Tokyo-3 for work, and was looking forward to what he thought was going to be an intense training regimen.

Asuka, however, was completely clueless, and though she was eager to learn whatever this strange-named scientist was willing to teach her, she was as convinced as Misato that it would take more than just 24 hours to do so.

"I hope you two have given your goodbyes to Misato. When I'm done with you, she won't be able to recognize you from personality alone."

Asuka laughed heartily. "It's going to take more than a day to turn this _baka_ into a decent human being."

Shinji kept his response to himself, and instead decided to change the subject. "So, Trunks, still keeping this a secret? Or are you willing to give us a bit of a hint?"

Trunks shook his head. "Sorry, Shinji, but I can't tell you anything until we get there. You won't believe me otherwise."

Shinji nodded, and Asuka huffed. "I wish Kaji could join us. At least you have someone familiar to chat with while we're there."

Trunks turned to the redhead. "Actually... you two will be training alone. I'm going to drop you off, and I'll be there when you're finished."

Asuka and Shinji both laughed, and Shinji would be the first to speak up. "I think I might have to agree with Misato and Asuka on this. We're going to need more than 24 hours."

Trunks chuckled. "We'll see, Shinji. We'll see."

**-X-**

The trip out was uneventful. The group drove from Misato's apartment to a secondary hangar that held aircraft bearing the logo of Capsule Corp. They loaded themselves and their items into one of the aircraft, and Asuka took a nap during the hour long flight to Trunks' mysterious training ground. Shinji, however, stayed awake and alert. He was trying to memorize the directions so that he may be able to return later by himself, or with Rei.

The two chatted the entire way, reminiscing of training long past, and generally catching up on the four years they had missed out with each other. Shinji talked about the things he had done upon reaching NERV and Tokyo-3, and Trunks talked of things that would have been technical and boring for Shinji in any other universe.

The hour passed quickly for the young half-Saiyan, and before long, he was instructed to wake Asuka. The two pilots (Asuka slightly groggy) stared out the front window to a view that defied all logic. On the horizon, a bowl sat suspended in the air, seemingly floating on its own. The top of the bowl was lined with white tiles, making a sort of floor, and in the center, Shinji could just _barely_ make out the silhouette of a training dojo.

"It's floating?!" Asuka exclaimed, completely taken back by the absurdity of the view in front of her.

"It's not floating, Asuka. It's held up by a rod that extends from Japan's tallest mountain. Years ago, a young warrior named Goku had to climb that rod to reach this place." Trunks set the aircraft to autopilot for its landing sequence, and turned to the pilots. "Welcome," he continued, "to Kami's Palace."

Shinji's eyes went wide, while Asuka's eyes held a puzzled look. Asuka was the first to speak.

"My Japanese isn't very good, but doesn't 'kami' mean 'god' in Japan?"

Trunks nodded. "Yes. An older being of great power and wisdom used to live here. He was the keeper of the Dragonballs, a source of great power once coveted by evil beings that spanned the galaxy. In fact, my father was once one of those beings, though he changed his tune after meeting my mother." Trunks looked thoughtful for a second, then continued. "He watched over the whole of the Earth from his perch here in the heavens, but faded from existence when Ad- er, Second Impact happened."

Trunks winked at Shinji, and Shinji knowingly winked back. Asuka blissfully missed the subtle exchange and instead focused an another point of interest. "... your father was an alien?"

Trunks nodded, but didn't elaborate. "We didn't come here for a history lesson, I'm afraid."

The three NERV employees piled from the plane, and slowly walked towards the building in the middle. Shinji changed his assumption from earlier on the plane, noting the building looked less like a dojo and more like a shrine, or a small house of Russian design. He was afraid of what training inside of it would do to its structural integrity.

The trio stood next to the door of the shrine/house, and Trunks motioned for the pilots to stop. "Through this door is your training ground. It is known as the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Within, you will find enough food to sustain two full-grown adults for an entire year, beds to accomodate those who are training, and an alternate dimension outside of the main building in which to train. On the outside, time will pass normally, but while I wait 24 hours for your training to complete, you will experience a year of training."

Asuka violently shook her head. "NO! I refuse to spend an entire year with this _baka_, alone, even if you're telling the truth and this building defies all laws of time and physics. You're asking too much! Take me back to Kaji!" She turned on the spot and began to walk back to the airplane.

Trunks sighed. "I hear there's a third pilot. Should I go retrieve Rei instead, and have her and Shinji train to defeat the Angels?"

Asuka whirled on the spot. "Anything that living doll can do, I can do better!" She crossed her arms. "But does it have to be an entire year?!"

Trunks nodded. "I've seen your background. Your training is impressive, but it's limited by the knowledge of your teachers. Your hand-to-hand combat skills are superb and not many can match your intelligence, but Shinji has been training in special combat skills the majority of his life. There are some things he could teach you that you need the extra time to learn and master. You remember your battle with the last Angel, correct? Did you happen to see any of the things he was able to do?"

Asuka nodded.

"Would you like to be able to shine the same way? Accept this training, and I may be able to outfit your EVA with the same technology we've adapted for Shinji. You'll be able to defeat your Angel(s) with skill and cunning rather than triggers, buttons, and computers."

Shinji spoke up this time. "You want me to train her in the use of ki, don't you?"

Trunks nodded. "Your mastery of ki attacks has brought you an added strength in your battles. I know you like to show off; you always have. Think of this as a way to show off to the entire world."

Shinji nodded. "I was going to teach her about ki anyway, as soon as she decided that she wanted to learn it."

Trunks chuckled, then turned to both of them. He pulled two capsules from his pocket and tossed them to each pilot. "Contained within these capsules is a training suit designed to help you withstand the effects of the HTC. The gravity inside is roughly ten times that of Earth, and the further you go into the Chamber, the more erratic the gravity and temperatures get. Asuka, because you are human, if you were to enter the Chamber dressed as you are, you would be crushed instantaneously by the gravity. Shinji, your body will be able to take the stress, but it will take time to adapt.

"There is an alarm rigged inside the suits that will go off as soon as it is determined that your bodies can take the stresses of the increased gravity. Until _BOTH_ of your alarms go off, it is suggested that you limit yourselves to sparring within sight of the door. Asuka, it is imperative that you learn ki control from Shinji first and foremost; otherwise, this entire idea will be lost."

Asuka and Shinji both nodded.

Trunks turned, opened the door, and stepped to the side. The doorway revealed nothing but white light that almost blinded the two pilots. Trunks pointed into the doorway and smiled. "As soon as I shut this door behind you, it will lock. It will not unlock itself until a year of your time has passed. Hopefully by the time it reopens," he said, now taking on a serious tone, "you will have learned to at least tolerate each other."

Shinji nodded silently, and Asuka huffed. Trunks took note of both attitudes. "This is the best idea that NERV has at the moment. I'd hope you could take it seriously."

Shinji nodded again, then made a mad dash for the door, disappearing into the blinding light. Asuka followed cautiously, still not 100% convinced that this was not a joke. Once the two pilots were inside, Trunks closed the door, and the teenagers heard the lock click shut, trapping them inside.


	13. A Brief Interlude

_**Sorry for the delay. I wrote myself into a corner, and was unsure of how to continue the story after our two pilots got locked into the HTC together. Plus, enormous pieces of REAL LIFE hit me square in the balls. I won't get into it, other than letting you guys know that it hurt.**_

_**To the "Guest" who left that wholly unconvincing "review" saying my story is dumb… Did you even read the story? Or did you leave the comment after reading the summary? In any case, if you don't have something nice (or even constructive) to say, don't say anything at all. Nobody is forcing you to read this stuff. I've removed your review, and you're welcome to leave another one if you have anything constructive to say. Insulting myself AND Akira Toriyama isn't earning you any fans.**_

* * *

_thud thud thud_

The frantic knocking on the door to Misato's apartment woke her from a hazy dream. It continued for a few minutes, each time growing louder and more urgent, until she was fully roused and incredibly agitated. Today was her day off, _dammit_! She didn't want anyone to bug her! She wanted to sleep in!

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted at the door, and the knocking paused. After running her hands through her hair and trying to make herself look at least _remotely_ presentable, she opened the door to see just who it was that had the gall to wake her on her day off.

"Oh, hi Ritsuko," she greeted the blonde standing in her doorway. "What brings you to my fine neck of the woods?"

"No real reason, I'm just here to see how our two short fuse pilots are getting along," she answered. "Securtiy has stated they didn't arrive at school today, and after such a sound defeat yesterday, I can see why. Are they here?"

Misato cocked an eyebrow. "They're not, actually… They left this morning to go train with that Trunks guy from R&amp;D."

Rituko's brow furrowed. "Did Gendo actually sign off on that ludicrous idea?"

Misato nodded. "Sounds like you're as convinced as I am that there's no way they'll be ready for the fight within 24 hours." She shrugged. "It's not really like it'll be a waste of time… we do have six days to come up with a plan of attack. And after relaying the idea that _Kaji_," she spat his name from her mouth like it was disgusting, "came up with, having a day to themselves before rigorous synchronization training kicked in kind of sounds like a good idea."

"I tell you, Misato, Trunks Briefs is one hell of a scientist. If he handled a keyboard faster, and if he showed any interest in it, he'd be in the running for _my_ job. I hear he's the son of Capsule Corps' owner Bulma Briefs."

Cocking her head, Misato quizzed her friend. "Didn't NERV buy out Capsule Corp? Technically that means we own them."

Ritsuko shook her head. "There were conditions to the buyout. I didn't catch everything, but apparently they own their own stocks, and most of their original technology remains off of our books. Anything they create that has applications to the EVAs is jointly owned, but other than that, they are still their own company. They signed a non-compete clause, so they can't go and create their own EVAs or contribute to the design of other EVA-like machines. There was a lot of fine print and red tape, and rumor has it that even Gendo was intimidated by Bulma." Ritsuko breathed out a sigh, then changed the subject. "That Trunks sure is cute though, isn't he?"

Misato, alert to her friend's tricks, decided to be honest. "He'd be cute if it weren't for the purple hair."

The two friends had a good laugh at that.

**-X-**

Aida and Suzuhara sat sullenly in class, staring out the windows and sulking that their friend wasn't in school that day. They took some minor solace in the fact that Asuka wasn't there either, relieved that they wouldn't have to suffer her wrath without Shinji to protect them.

"I wonder where he is. I hope like hell that red-haired _vespa_ didn't kill him after their last battle," Toji fumed.

"Maybe Rei knows where he is?" Kensuke offered.

The two boys turned their attention briefly to the blue haired girl behind them. She, too, was lost in thought, staring out the window at the cloudless day. Toji snorted.

"She probably doesn't know. Most days she seems to be completely clueless about pretty much anything."

The class rep Hikari was not oblivious to their whispers. As they talked amongst themselves of the whereabouts of their pilot friend, she snuck up behind them. She clapped her hands behind them and scolded them for not paying attention, which caused them to snap to attention in their seats, but the teacher seemed lost in his droning about Second Impact, and completely oblivious to the incident. The bell rang for lunch, and Hikari sighed.

At lunch, the two boys could not find Rei. They neglected to look on the roof, where the young pilot had taken to eating her lunches, so they were unable to get more than a few minutes of time with her before class restarted to ask about Shinji. Unfortunately, the only information they could pry out of the girl was that the two pilots were 'in training,' and that they wouldn't be back for an entire week. Collective sighs were had, and once more they were left to suffer through yet another nearly unbearable Second Impact lecture.

Indeed, that seemed to be the only thing the teacher seemed to teach them.

**-X-**

"That boy of yours is definitely something else." The statement seemed strange coming from Fuyutski.

Gendo didn't seem to have any reaction to the statement, but his eyebrows did furrow a bit. It was troubling to him that the boy had such mastery over his power, and nothing but contempt for him. Shinji wasn't nearly as controllable as he had hoped, and this was becoming a problem.

After a moment, the man spoke. "Despite the boy being different than we had anticipated, our scenario should still advance with no problems."

Fuyutski showed no emotion, but inside he was appalled. How could Gendo speak of his own spawn in such a cold, distant way?

**-X-**

That evening, Kaji and Trunks met with Misato and Ritsuko at a local dive bar. After a couple rounds of sake, stories began being traded.

"… and after being completely humiliated, he crawled back into his spacepod and left. The battle was over and most of his friends were dead, but Son Goku had saved the planet Earth from destruction," Trunks finished, a slight blush coming over his face from the effects of the alcohol.

"So," began Ritcuko in a sarcastic tone, and Trunks could tell she didn't believe a word of his story. "So, this man managed to return from the dead with the help of some kind of magical balls, and had his ass handed to him in battle, and only won because the alien he was fighting got his tail cut off?"

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds crazy."

Ritsuko laughed. "It _IS_ crazy, young man! There are so many holes in that story I could drive Misato's car through them! Do you have anything to add to this story that might make it a little more believable? Because I think you've had a little too much to drink." Ritsuko raised her glass to her lips, taking another swig of her sake.

Trunks snickered. "Son Goku, the hero of the story, was one of the same aliens."

Ritsuko was so surprised by that particular statement that she choked on her drink. She coughed hard and alcohol came rushing from her nose, causing her to cry out in pain. Kaji and Misato, who had been caught up in Trunks' story and were amazed by it, looked at their friend and started laughing, earning them both punches in the arm.

As Misato finally managed to stop laughing and got up to help her friend to the restroom, Kaji leaned in close to Trunks. "As much as I'd like to believe you, and I _do_, I can't help but agree with Ritsuko on this one. That seems too farfetched to believe. I'm older than you are, and while I do remember the destruction of East City, I was told that it was an earthquake. Surely we would have been told that it was because of an alien attack."

Trunks, finishing another swig of sake, shook his head. "Tell me… Does NERV actually tell the general public what is attacking Tokyo-3 when an Angel arrives?"

Kaji cocked his head sideways and stared at the young man. Trunks continued. "To prevent a mass panic, attacks by forces stronger than our own are usually downplayed."

At that, Trunks stood up and stretched. His spine popped from the strangeness of sitting on a cushion rather than being propped in a straight back chair all day. Ritcuko and Misato returned to join them as he stood.

"As much as I would like to continue this wonderful night out, I must go. I have our two pilots to retrieve in the morning, and I sure as hell don't want to be late to get them. I'm pretty sure they'll want to kill each other by the time they're done, and I really should be there to prevent any collateral damage." Bowing out, the young man left.

Kaji watched him leave, a twinkle in his eye. Ritsuko caught his look and gawked. "Don't tell me you actually believed him?!"

Kaji looked Ritsuko directly in her eyes. "I know you, Ritsuko. You would have believed him too, if it weren't for the addition of… what did he call them? Dragonballs? You would have believed every word of that story if it didn't include anything that science couldn't explain away. Because of the Angels, you believe in aliens. Because of _Shinji himself_, you believe in enormous power battles, and even what Shinji calls ki. So for one moment, pretend that you believe in magic. What part of his story could you not believe?"


End file.
